


tokoyo i: what the star found in this world

by whiteautumn



Series: tokoyo 常世 - an everlasting holy realm. [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: (aka ryouken stops running from his feelings), Action/Adventure, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Forgive Me, M/M, Romance, Self-Discovery, Spectre is the best, i guess this is my post-epilogue fic?, mood for this fic: Peak Revolver Mood(TM), so much at the end it'll make your teeth rot, trust me i've tried splitting the damn thing into chapters but it doesn't read the same
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:54:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 27,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24656422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiteautumn/pseuds/whiteautumn
Summary: A few months after Playmaker starts his journey to look for Ai, a new virus similar to the Another surfaces from the depths of the network.When Yuusaku falls into mortal danger, Ryouken embarks on the search of his life to bring him back, guided by a six-year-old Fujiki Yuusaku, and learns just what is truly important to him in the process.Edit: Now with fanarts! Thank you ZakuraRain *hearts* (27/07/2020)
Relationships: Fujiki Yuusaku/Revolver | Kougami Ryouken
Series: tokoyo 常世 - an everlasting holy realm. [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1782745
Comments: 19
Kudos: 53





	1. i: what the star found in this world (part i)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ZakuraRain](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZakuraRain/gifts).



> Welcome to the longest one-shot I've written... and probably the longest one-shot I will write. Hopefully. 
> 
> At 26.8k words, it's going to be a fun ride ~~(I can't summarise so the story is defo better than whatever shit I wrote above)~~. I had a fun time working on this for four(ish) months, mainly hitting walls with the duel parts that I circumvented probably not in the best way possible, but have some mercy please I don't play the game at all. I tried. If the effects are wrong, shoot me a message and I will correct it! 
> 
> I'd like to thank @ZakuraRain on twitter (to whom this novella is gifted to on ao3) for the original prompt... which I cannot remember what it was actually. It's been quite long and lots have happened since then. 
> 
> **Finally,** I'll have to warn some people who might be bothered by fiction imitating real life that I started this before the covid mess began. While there is no pandemic in the story, there are some typical YGO VRAINS elements that might mirror some real life elements right now. If you think you're going to be triggered, I'd suggest giving this a pass (temporarily, I hope).
> 
> If not, I hope this makes your quarantine life a lot easier to get through, and finally, enjoy! x
> 
> Edit: I've split the original story into two chapters - so there's parts i and ii. For ease of access, I have also included an index section at the beginning of both chapters.
> 
> [title inspiration: egoist - kono sekai de mitsuketa mono](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzUoc2PQvwU)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> index part i (for easier access):  
> once upon a time  
> over the rainbow,  
> a star sets off on a search  
> for the sake of his lover,  
> fragments of innocence,  
> shards of vengefulness,  
> 

_once upon a time,_

“A new virus?” Ryouken repeats Dr Asou’s words, an eyebrow raised, gently setting down his coffee mug beside his laptop, the pale brown liquid swirling gently with the motion. His subordinate and father-figure nods in confirmation, and Dr Taki steps up to stand beside him, taking over the report, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

“We found some whispers of a new threat lurking around Link VRAINS on the forums. Seems like it hasn’t claimed more than a handful of victims - those who wander out of SOL’s monitoring range in the network, that is. All of the infected individuals return dazed and dissociative, before slipping into a comatose state, their avatar signals nowhere to be found in the network.” Ryouken drums his fingers against the table-top at that, face slowly squinting into a frown. A variation of the Another virus? Kyouko had deleted the codes for that and had made sure to clear any remnant cached data when she freed the players from the infection. The likelihood of the code naturally mutating into anything resembling this level of threat is low, without anyone to manipulate it. 

“It could also be a hoax, since we have yet to find any signs of it.”

“You could be right - Pandor?” His AI flashes onto his screen, red eyes alert and ready, mouth pressed into a thin line.

“I haven’t found any signs either, Ryouken-sama. However, I have checked hospitals and found records of admission for those who had allegedly been affected.” Pandor confirms, voice steady but carrying a tone of worry. His mood darkens at the news.

“Zaizen didn’t inform us of this development.” He sighs, “If the victims are few, and the news is only being spread via the forums, it’s unlikely he’ll be aware anyway.” As far as he knows, Zaizen Akira has been working on improving Link VRAINS and SOL’s image since the incident with the Ignis of Darkness, taking over as its executive director. He came to Ryouken when there was something in the network that required investigating but left the Knights of Hanoi to their own devices most of the time. A part of him finds humour in the man drowning in work and balancing the public’s demands - not that Ryouken could talk, however.

“What should we do, Ryouken-sama?” Dr Taki questions, grey eyes looking straight ahead at him, hands clenched at her sides.

“Pandor, track down the affected individuals and run checks on their logs. I want to know what they did the month prior to infection, and where they went in the network.” The AI on the screen nods in understanding. “Dr Taki, I need you to look at their medical records for anything abnormal, don’t miss even the slightest discrepancy.”

“Dr Asou, work with Spectre and Dr Genome to try to track the virus, starting with the forums, I know it might feel like looking for a needle in a haystack, but we should start tracking the virus down now before it harms anyone else.” He nods in satisfaction when his two generals reply with affirmatives.

“I’ll give Zaizen a call and inform him of the situation, the virus might be in a location beyond the range of SOL’s control, but it could be catastrophic if it spreads into Link VRAINS.” Just like a virus in the real world, computer and network viruses spread faster if there are more hosts, they’ll have to contain it as soon as possible. If they could track down the damn thing and access its codes to work on an anti-virus, even better.

“Yes, sir!” Ryouken feels his mouth twitch at that, before settling into a resigned half-smile. “You know you no longer have to call me that, right?” While he had re-established the Knights of Hanoi to monitor the network, he had made it clear to his generals and Spectre and they no longer need to adhere to the previous hierarchy that had been established by his father, at least between the five of them – Kyouko and Asou had all but raised him, and Spectre is his closest friend after all.

“Habits are hard to break,” Kyouko offers, a small smile on her face. “But we’ll keep that in mind, Ryouken-kun.” With that, the two of them turn to return to the main deck of the cruise, leaving him behind. His expression twists into a thoughtful frown again after the door closes, before sighing and bringing up his video conferencing application to call Akira. He scans his calendar briefly as he does so – they’ll have to return to land soon to restock on supplies.

An uneasy feeling stirs in him, but it’s brief and tiny enough that he shrugs it off, it’s probably concerns about the virus.

_over the rainbow,_

_He’s eight years old again. Being in this form doesn’t feel any different from being a teenager, but it is weird having everything so much lower than at the height he’s become accustomed to. He’s eight years old again, and Stardust Road glitters beneath his feet. Momentarily shocked by the brilliance surrounding him, he forgets to be confused by how he’s floating on water._

_There’s no time to ponder about that, however. Someone’s crying in the distance. The voice is familiar, coming from beyond the mirage of purple and blues that haunts his dreams constantly. He can’t hear him – it’s a boy, Ryouken realises, someone he knows – clearly, but Ryouken knows he’s screaming his name. Ryouken moves before he registers his legs running, tapping light ripples on the galaxy, towards a place beyond the horizon where he knows the other is trapped._

_The voice calls out to him desperately, and Ryouken tries, tries and **tries** to reach that voice but no matter how much he runs, it only fades further and further into an abyss where he can’t possibly follow in this form, tiny hand stretched out towards the blue horizon as if he can hold onto **anything** –_

**_Ryouken!_ **

His eyes snap open, meeting the dark grey of his cabin roof in the yacht, breath coming in rapidly, fists clenching his sheets tightly. Taking a few moments to calm himself, he tries to slow his breathing down, before sitting up, a hand to his forehead, fingers resting on both his temples. There’s something really wrong.

It’s been a while since he’s had a nightmare consisting of a younger Fujiki Yuusaku. Ryouken thought his days of dreaming about Yuusaku’s capture and screams were over the moment Bohman had been defeated. While he continues to appear in Ryouken’s dreams, it’s usually as his grown-up counterpart, or as Playmaker with glowing viridian eyes and fiery orange hair. 

So, what the hell was that? There’s no reason for Ryouken to suddenly start dreaming of Yuusaku’s torture again after everything has been resolved – the fact that everyone is back alive and the network is once again stable signalled the fact that Playmaker had managed to defeat the Ignis of Darkness – Ai – although said Playmaker had also disappeared shortly after the battle.

The surveillance in Fujiki Yuusaku’s household showed that he still returned to the real world every once in a while, to prevent the lasting damage the loss of consciousness can do to his body. While SOL has built-in mechanisms in Link VRAINS to ensure forced log outs for every users after eight hours of gameplay – which is already potentially dangerous considering the strain some users put themselves through in the virtual reality system – everyone who had participated in the war against the Ignises had an overwrite for it, and therefore needed to return to their bodies by their own accord. Fujiki stays for about a day each time, presumably to recover, and leaves again the following morning. Other than that, however, there has been no form of real-world communication at all from the other, beyond the initial message saying that he’s going to find Ai. His attendance record at his school is now atrocious – Ryouken had to fight to give into the urge to hack into the records and made sure he at least met his minimum attendance rates – and no one knows how much progress he’s made.

He’ll be back, Ryouken’s sure of that, and he’s strong and capable too, so it’s more than likely he’ll come back with Ai.

Ryouken has only the utmost faith in his abilities, so why the uncontrollable urgent feeling in his chest that nags at him that something has gone very, very awry?

The virus that they’re tracking targets those who are out of SOL’s monitoring range in the network – where Playmaker spends most of his time nowadays.

Hissing, he stands up and grabs his jacket from the hanger on the wall, before walking to the control room, where Spectre was seated at the desk, surfing the web on his laptop on duty for the night.

“Ryouken-sama?” The ashen-haired teen raises an eyebrow at seeing him enter, “Shouldn’t you be asleep?” Ryouken makes a noncommitted sound in reply, before reaching towards the control to start the yacht for Den City, the engine revving up at the push of the button.

“We’re heading back at this time?” It’s usually routine for them to spend a night on the yacht before their return to Den City to restock. A cruise ship docking draws too much attention, after all. Even with their new vigilante status, it’s still something the Knights of Hanoi needs to avoid as much as possible. Satisfied with the course of the yacht, he turns to look at Spectre, who straightens at attention upon meeting his eyes.

“There’s something I have to check up on.”

“And it can’t wait until morning?” That, he doesn’t know, but his instincts are screaming at him to do it right now.

“No.” Spectre’s eyebrow goes higher, before deciding to stay quiet and not questioning him. Ryouken supposes he must be sporting a really dark expression right now, mirroring the feelings that are within him. The apprehension grows and so does the sinking feeling in his stomach, and they drive him to walk out of the cabin out onto the deck, plastering his hands against the railing and drumming his fingers on it.

He all but jumps over the railing and onto the dock the moment the yacht settles into the area, ignoring Spectre’s alarmed exclamation of “Ryouken-sama!” from behind him, and running towards the Kougami residence, where his car is located. While he has yet to get his legal driving license – because that would mean leaving behind a trail that both SOL and the Ignis could track – he knows how to drive one. It would’ve been for the best if he could’ve avoided using it, but it is three a.m. and he had to get to Fujiki’s place downtown, fast.

“I’ll be gone for a few hours! Cover my tracks!” There’s no way Ryouken could explain the situation to Spectre right now without sounding ridiculous – in fact, he feels pretty ridiculous right now himself, but if Yuusaku was in danger, Ryouken was not letting it slip past him.

Scowling, he ducks under the roller door and into the garage, pulling the cover of his coupé off before unlocking it and all but jumping in. Impatience seizes him as it waits for the engine to start up from a long time of disuse, tapping his fingers against the driving wheel impatiently. The moment the process is complete, he reaches for the gear shifter and floors the accelerator out of the garage.

Den City is hauled as Japan’s most beautiful seaside city, boasting the famous beauty of Stardust Road. While not as developed as Neo Domino or Heartland, it also possesses a good balance between technological advancement and nature, making an elegant picture of soft orange lights and a moderately developed skyline at night that is a sight to look at. However, Ryouken takes no notice of this as he speeds on the highway headed towards downtown Den City.

He reaches Yuusaku’s apartment building in record time, parking the blue Lexus at the shoulder of the road, easily hacking into the front door on his duel disk, taking two steps each time up the stairs to Yuusaku’s apartment, trying his best to be as quiet as possible. Unsurprisingly, the door lock gives in easily to his hacking – it still annoys him that Yuusaku, despite being an extraordinary hacker, doesn’t bother with more security in his living area – and he tiptoes into the hallway, closing the door gently behind him.

Remaining silent as he makes his way down the stairs, he sees Yuusaku’s body resting on his bed, and approaches the younger boy with some apprehension. He could be wrong, and this unsettling feeling could just be his brain playing tricks on him, or he could be right, and Playmaker could be in trouble. Ryouken doesn’t want to think about the implications of the former, but he also doesn’t want to think about the consequences of the latter.

Yuusaku’s unconscious body is slightly cool to the touch as Ryouken places his fingers on the other’s neck. There’s a pulse, but it’s slight, slow, and steady, not exactly abnormal for an unconscious person. Frowning, he gently flips the blanket over, breath catching in his throat.

On the LED display of Yuusaku’s old duel disk, the words _“signal not found”_ roll across the tiny screen, chilling Ryouken to the bone. He hisses, hating himself for being right, before bringing up his duel disk to contact Spectre.

_“Ryouken-sama?”_

“Send Pandor over to my duel disk. Wake the others up, we’re going back to the mansion, and I’m bringing a guest over.” If Spectre was confused, he doesn’t let it show in his reply.

 _“Yes, sir.”_ His friend cum right-hand man ends the call, leaving Ryouken to stare at the unconscious of his once archenemy, the person his destiny is interlinked with, and the boy he had once saved. He’s not sure if the dreams are part of Yuusaku’s cries for help – exactly like back then, when only Ryouken could hear his screams even when he didn’t want to – or Ryouken’s gut telling him that something bad has happened, but he’ll make sure to succeed in saving the other this time.

_I’ll get you back, so wait for me._

_“Ryouken-sama, I’m here.”_ Pandor’s voice comes through loud and clear via the speakers of his duel disk, and he could tell a hint of surprise in her voice at the location she had found herself at. While Ryouken refuses to let her reside permanently in his duel disk – he still doesn’t need an AI for that, anti-Ignis or not – he did change the permissions on his security system to allow for Pandor’s program. It comes in handy occasionally, like now.

Moving Yuusaku so that the blanket is now wrapped around him instead, Ryouken reaches under the unconscious teen’s knees and back to pick him up, mindful to keep the blanket in place, before making his way upstairs to the door. Pandor catches on to the cue quickly and unlocks it for him, allowing him to exit and make his way out of the apartment building.

He sets Yuusaku down carefully in the vacant seat, clipping the seat belt securely in place, before closing the door and making his way to the driver’s seat, feeling an odd weight on his shoulders.

 _“…Is everything all right, Ryouken-sama? I’ve detected a severe error warning coming from Playmaker’s duel disk.”_ Pandor asks, turning on the screen monitor and speakers in the car, Ryouken pulling his face into a frown at the question, hands gripping the driving wheel tightly.

“No, I think Fujiki Yuusaku might’ve come into contact with the virus that we’re tracking.” If only they’d caught onto it earlier… He scowls and starts the car for the Kougami mansion, and Pandor doesn’t reply, red eyes flickering back and forth between her master and her ex-ally.

 _“I’ve been tracking down the logs of those infected,”_ Here, she hesitates and looks back at Ryouken, _“There have been several more victims since.”_ The tension in his lips increases, and his frown deepens.

“Since yesterday?”

 _“Yes. There’s a time lag of three months between the first and the third victim, who was infected just yesterday morning.”_ Right before their meeting, in fact, _“However, it seems that the number of victims has increased by five just over the last night. This is not counting Playmaker.”_

“It’s growing and spreading.” Most computer viruses grow and mutate over time, and this kind of growth is unheard of without a kind of catalyst or a programmer to change their code. Presumably, it’s not a catalyst or some other kind of programme the virus has run into, then…

“We might be dealing with a cyberterrorist.” The irony almost makes Ryouken want to laugh.

“We’ll call Zaizen the first thing in the morning, have him put out a notice.” He’s tempted to ask the other to shut down Link VRAINS again but considering the number of users in the VR realm, pitting it against eight – no, nine – victims, it’s still difficult to justify closing down the servers at this point.

“We also have access to a copy of the virus now. It’ll be easy to create and also have SOL patch a protection programme.” He needs to figure out how this ridiculous virus works, or he’s not going to get Yuusaku back. Taking his eyes off the road, he turns his head slightly to monitor the younger teen’s condition, observing the slow rise and fall of his chest, before turning his attention back, a small sense of relief in his being. His condition hasn’t worsened, and that’s a blessing for now.

The day dawns as Ryouken slows down, approaching the Kougami mansion, where Spectre and his three generals stood by the door waiting for him. Each of them had a different reaction when Ryouken exited the car and carried Yuusaku out from the co-driver’s seat. Spectre merely keeps his single eyebrow raised, but there’s no hint of surprise on his face. Kyouko blinks a few times in confusion, before smiling. Genome looks particularly intrigued by the position he has Yuusaku in, and Asou is the only one surprised – only briefly, before he also smiles and sighs in what seems like resignation. Ryouken feels his face muscle twitch, realising that he had all but run off in the middle of the night, and returned with an unconscious Yuusaku, dressed in his dark blue pyjamas, in his arms.

If the situation wasn’t as dire as it was, he’s sure that his face would be burning by now.

“It’s not what it looks like.” He snaps, “Fujiki Yuusaku has been infected with the virus.” At this, the four stand up straighter, expression suddenly serious.

“The _kamikakushi_?” Ryouken shoots Spectre a questioning look, and his aid smiles lopsidedly, “It’s the name that the forum has given the virus, since the victims’ consciousness all disappear without a trace.” Spirited away. He supposes it makes sense given the circumstances, but the idea of it being the work of a higher being makes him scoff.

“We have a copy of it here.” He lifts Yuusaku slightly as a gesture, “All of you, get a copy of the data and analyse it from here. Zaizen would surely appreciate a vaccine protection programme.” With this, he starts towards the mansion, his fellow Knights following him. It’s not something that could not be done on the yacht, but he just wanted to be near land in case Yuusaku’s physical condition changes. The place would need a little dusting but is otherwise clean – just the way he’d left it nine months ago. The door to his room opens automatically upon registering his voice, Spectre pulls off the cover over his bed, allowing him to set Yuusaku down onto it.

“Kyouko-san, could you give Yuu – Fujiki a check-up, please?” He stumbles over his words, realising he’s almost said the other’s name out loud. Kyouko nods and walks out of the room to get her kit.

“Anything to report?”

 _“I’ll go first,”_ Pandor volunteers, having transferred herself from the car’s navigation system into the house’s network, turning the screen facing Ryouken’s bed on. _“The movements of the original two victims were harder to track, given the huge time gap between them. However, the recent six were easier – the third victim passed by a particular node, just at the bottom point of Link VRAINS right before his consciousness was lost. The newest five victims are more worrying, they were infected in the Link VRAINS network, albeit still at the bottom levels. From what I can gather, they were searching for cards discarded by duelists. Apparently, they could be found there… an urban legend, it seems.”_

“The origin of the virus is beyond the lower levels of Link VRAINS?” A blind spot, Ryouken knows this from experience, the Tower of Hanoi had been planted the exact same way, of course. Except, because their goal had been to take SOL down alongside the rest of the world, they had based the programme at the bottom levels instead of beyond it, despite the results being exactly the same. “And I was right, it is spreading.” Fast, too, it seems.

“Yes,” Here, Asou takes over, speaking for Genome and Spectre as well, and Kyouko returns to the room with her kit. Ryouken tears his attention away from them to watch her work, eyes observing her every movement keenly. The red-haired doctor wasn’t perturbed, however, given how often she’s exposed to borderline hysterical family members watching her work. While he had the utmost confidence in Kyouko’s skills, the worry for Yuusaku is much stronger.

With him focused on Yuusaku and Kyouko, he misses how Asou holds back on his report patiently, and the amused expressions his other three Knights exchange with each other.

“His vitals seem fine, a little dehydrated – but that’s normal coming from long periods of logging in – but his physical condition is stable thus far.” Kyouko looks thoughtful, “It’s the same with the other victims, as far as I can tell from their medical records and doctor’s notes, nothing is wrong with them physically, short of the lack of actual consciousness. What is curious is that the first victim has maintained his current physical function, despite needing medical support to stay healthy, but not requiring it to stay alive. Their organs are not failing – at least not in a way one would expect when exposed to a virus.” Here, Kyouko’s expression darkens slightly, and Ryouken remembers his father’s failing health after Lightning had gotten to him, feeling relieved that the same thing will not happen to Yuusaku.

“If there is any kind of physical issue in the future, I would expect it to be from lack of exercise and mobility instead of an effect of the virus.”

“It’s not a virus that kills, then.” Spectre remarks, a hand on his chin.

“Not directly, no.”

“That’s good to know, make sure Zaizen gets that part of the memo.” Ryouken orders. SOL has no need to know how the virus works at this part in time, only that they have to contain a potential public panic, and this is a vital piece of information for doing that.

“Apologies, Dr Asou, I got distracted.” Asou merely looks amused and Ryouken suddenly feels like he’s eight years old again and just did something incredibly silly in front of his father-figure.

“It’s all right, Ryouken-sama. I understand.” Understand _what_ , Ryouken wants to ask, but a part of him is afraid, and this honestly isn’t the time for it, so he doesn’t.

“As Pandor already mentioned, the first victim was infected three months ago – immediately after Link VRAINS reopened. We have also tracked the originating point to the lowest tip of the Link VRAINS server network but were unable to discern a specific location for it upon exiting the server into the larger network nodes. However, we should be able to extract the virus code from Fujiki-kun’s duel disk, and hopefully understand how it works.” Ryouken sighs, feeling a headache coming on, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

“Start now, don’t detach his duel disk.” Taking that off someone who’s connected to the network is dangerous, connection lost or not. While Ryouken’s sure that everyone in this room understood that basic rule, he feels the nagging need to just remind them of it again – it is Yuusaku they’re talking about, after all. They nod and start moving the required equipment into Ryouken’s room.

“Pandor, get Zaizen on video, project it here.”

“Yes, Ryouken-sama.”

Three rings, and Akira’s alert face is staring at him, eyes widening at the sight of Yuusaku on the bed, and the Knights connecting his duel disk to their computers.

“Playmaker – I mean Fujiki-kun? What’s going on, Kougami-kun?”

“We spoke about the new virus yesterday, and Fujiki Yuusaku has fallen victim to it.” Zaizen sucks in a deep breath at the news, before collecting himself almost as soon as he becomes aware of it.

“What can I do?”

“I need you to put out a notice ASAP, advising people to stay away from the servers for a while. We’re working on a protection programme right now for you to patch into the game, but the less people logged in, the lower the number of potential victims. It’s growing and spreading fast. Something must’ve changed its nature between yesterday noon and late night.”

“Will do. Anything else? Do you need help decoding the virus?” Here, Ryouken hesitates, because while he knows he and the Knights are good at what they do, are they good enough (is _he_ good enough) to analyse the virus on time and save Yuusaku? On another hand, the idea of having SOL employees in his house and coming into contact with Yuusaku makes his skin crawl – he’s sure Yuusaku wouldn’t appreciate coming into contact with anyone at SOL either, Zaizen Akira aside.

“No, we’re good for now. Thank you for your offer. I’ll let you know if we do need help.” Akira seems to understand, purple-coloured eyes softening.

“Good luck, then.”

“Thank you.” Ryouken sighs, turning to his Knights, who look at him, awaiting his signal.

“Let’s start, then.”

_a star sets off on a search_

Five cups of coffee and a delivered meal later, Ryouken’s frown feels like it’s now etched onto his face. Beside him, his generals and Spectre aren’t fairing any better, each staring in frustration at their respective monitors. It was difficult breaking through the security of Playmaker’s duel disk, and that had taken them a while, even while working together. They’ve managed to figure out what the virus did, the implications aren’t pretty.

“Creating a virus like that – it’s just… illogical.” Asou scowls, and part of Ryouken agrees with him, the other wondering if they really had any right to talk, having dealt with the threat of the Ignis.

Examining the code, it’s clear that what it’s meant to do is to trap the individual’s consciousness in the network – but what’s weird is that it does not cause the individual any kind of pain or suffering (from what they could tell, anyway). There are several ways this virus could be misused, assuming Link VRAINS is only a testing ground for it – by trapping everyone in the network and unable to do anything, they could potentially take over the networks of major powers in the world, which includes free control over their weaponry, secret intelligence and economy. It’s not something the Knights of Hanoi had not considered back in the days of their cyberterrorism, but their goal had ultimately been the erasure of the Ignises, so going that far seemed counterproductive.

What’s annoying, is that the virus seems to have no weakness – not a single line of code that is out of place and can be re-written or re-defined. Against expectations, they were also unable to access the code directly from Yuusaku’s duel disk to do _anything_ to it. He grits his teeth, fists clenched on the sides of his keyboard. Yuusaku lays on the bed, unconscious, the only signs of life being his shallow breathing. The way he is right now, he reminds Ryouken of a sleeping beauty, cursed to never awaken.

_Like I’ll allow that._

Taking a deep breath, Ryouken stands up and makes his way to stand beside Yuusaku, eyes running over the other’s still form before settling on his deceptively peaceful expression. His companions watch his sudden movements with bated breath, and he leans down, reaches for Yuusaku’s hand to disconnect the wires from his duel disk. Spectre scoffs from where he sits facing the other side of the bed Yuusaku is lying on, and Ryouken raises an eyebrow at him. He then coughs discreetly into his hand, waving Ryouken’s unvoiced question away.

Turning his torso slightly, he sees his generals with raised eyebrows, and he mirrors their expression back at them. Kyouko looks away, Asou looks sheepish and Genome continues to watch in fascination.

“What?”

“It’s nothing, Ryouken-sama.” Kyouko coughs lightly, similar to Spectre’s action from earlier. “What should be our next action?” Ryouken frowns and turns back to Yuusaku, staring at his duel disk in concentration, the words scrolling across the screen, mocking his being.

“Can we track Playmaker’s last known location in Link VRAINS?” Pandor perks up at that.

“Yes, I can do that for you, Ryouken-sama.” Spectre, understanding as he is, catches on to what Ryouken plans to do.

“Ryouken-sama, please don’t tell me you’re planning to go after it.” There’s a hint of resignation in Spectre’s tone that hinted to his understanding that regardless of what he says, Ryouken plans to follow through with his insane idea. “Though I suppose it can’t be helped, now that we’re out of options to track it from this side.”

“I’m counting on all of you for backup.” Here, his closest companion actually startles, “Spectre, you’re not coming with me.”

“But Ryouken-sama –”

“If the virus gets a hold of me, which it won't, the rest of you are going to need as much manpower as possible.” The ashen-haired teen backs down at that, lips pressed into a thin line that told Ryouken just what he thought of this suggestion. “I’ll be fine.” And he’ll make it back with Yuusaku, or he’d die trying.

“If it makes you feel better, I’ll take Pandor with me.” A middle ground, since all of them look reluctant to allow him to venture into unknown territory without backup.

“We’ll support you as much as we can from here,” Genome sighs, and the blue-eyed teen nods, satisfied with his answer. Moving his laptop aside and towards Spectre, Ryouken settles into his seat, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself while the others set the last known coordinates of Playmaker as his spawn location in Link VRAINS.

“Into the VRAINS.”

_for the sake of his lover,_

The feeling that washes over him upon transmission of his consciousness into the virtual world is colder than what he’s used to. Grey zones like this where no players ever visit are common, and the chilly environment is a characteristic, with no major SOL influences to power the area up. The server space is merely available just in case SOL needed the extra space to deal with more players logging in at once, or for future expansions.

 _“Revolver-sama, do you copy?”_ Spectre’s voice comes through just as Pandor materialises beside him.

“Loud and clear.” He nods at the AI in acknowledgement, thinking about how he’s going to track Playmaker from here, before realising that there is a way. “I need you to track Borreload Furious Dragon’s data from here throughout global networks.” SOL’s networks might not have kept any of Playmaker’s access beyond their Link VRAINS server, but Borreload is a card that’s not technically registered by SOL, having been created by Ryouken. Hence, its data should not be limited to only SOL’s database and can be tracked anywhere in the world.

If they find the card, they find Playmaker. Revolver’s willing to bet his entire deck that the other had not let the card out of his possession, not because it came from him – and wasn’t that a nice thought, albeit a little entitled of him – but because he is a respectful duelist who would never do that to another duelist’s card. In his eyes, however, Furious is as good as Playmaker’s, since Revolver had meant for it as a form of help and protection. Call him sentimental, but Ryouken had wanted a way to keep protecting Yuusaku, knowing he couldn’t possibly stay by the other boy’s side. Too much has happened, and even if Yuusaku forgave him, Ryouken will never forgive himself.

He knows Yuusaku understood the meaning of his words that night at Stardust Road.

 _“We found it.”_ Those words snap Revolver out of his reverie, him scowling as he realises that he had lost himself in his thoughts – this is not the time right now, damn it. _“It’s in a node in Neo Domino.”_ His scowl deepens – because although they have foreseen the virus being located out of the Link VRAINS network, how the hell had it gone all the way to an adjacent city and not affect any of the traffic in between? Spirited away, indeed – there’s too much they don’t know about this virus.

“Let’s go, Pandor.” His D-Board materialises as Spectre and the others open a gateway for them in SOL’s network, presumably directly to where the card data is currently located.

“Yes, Revolver-sama.”

 _“How did the virus infect individuals in Link VRAINS while being all the way in Neo Domino?”_ Spectre’s musing reaches his ears, mirroring Ryouken’s earlier thoughts. _“It hasn’t affected anyone else other than VRAINS duelists. From what we can tell, the virus is in close existence in terms of location with Furious Dragon’s data,”_ His heart leaps at this – this means Playmaker is likely together with the card, _“But what’s amazing is that none of the Neo Domino citizens have been affected – we can’t find hospitalisation reports similar to the ones here in Den City.”_

Does that mean the virus does not spread via Player-to-Player or node-to-node contact?

“Most likely, it affects players only by direct contact,” This annoys him, because it means that Playmaker had gotten himself into some kind of trouble again. “But we won’t know until we find Playmaker.” Spectre hums in agreement.

 _“Exit coming up, take note.”_ He and Pandor manoeuvre themselves out of the tunnel smoothly, entering a node in the large network of Neo Domino. Pandor lets out a soft gasp at the scenery set before her, and Revolver feels a smile tug on his lips. Neo Domino City truly deserves the title of being the most technologically advanced in the world, their virtual servers are built in a way that modelled the city’s infrastructure, and all the nodes look like stars in a galaxy. It reminds him of a network version of Stardust Road, except it’s always bright against the backdrop of a night sky here.

“Revolver-sama… This place is beautiful.” The smile fully forms on his face at this.

“It is, Neo Domino City is a lot more technologically advanced than Den City after all. Perhaps you can visit and spend more time here after we’ve come up with an antivirus for the _kamikakushi_.”

“Can I? I mean… thank you.” A part of him is amused by how shy Pandor is being – she’s gotten better at asking for what she wants over the last few months, but his AI is still a work in progress, just like how a human continues to learn over time. Her growth is something that he takes personal pride in. Although he had created her for the purpose of battling against the Ignises, he finds himself oddly proud of how much she’s grown, and excited for her continued growth in the future.

“You’re nearing the location. It’s in the second building to your right.” He replies an affirmative and dismounts his D-Board, recalling it with a tap of a button on his duel disk controls. From what he could see, the building is the materialisation of a small transfer node in the network, a decrepit container. There’s nothing remarkable about the location or its type, which could be probably why it ironically serves as a good hiding place.

“We’re heading in.”

 _“Please be careful, Revolver-sama.”_ He gestures to Pandor, who reaches forward to press her palm onto the door. The digital lock on the side beeps twice, before the indicator flickers from red to green.

The door slides open, and Revolver steps inside without hesitation. A sharp noise assaults the both of them the moment Pandor steps in fully behind him. Hissing, he realises too late that the door has slid close. His AI approaches it tentatively, one hand reached out, only to be repelled by an invisible barrier.

Great, they’re effectively locked in. He looks around, finding nothing other than a few stray cardboard boxes scattered about.

“Seems like the virus knows we’re here.” Pandor suggests, clenching and unclenching her hand. “I have sustained no damage from that, however.” Revolver narrows his eyes. That blasted thing is effectively sentient, it seems.

Reaching up, he presses the button that activates the comms system to the real world, only to scowl at the static sound that greets him.

“Stay on your guard, Pandor.”

“Yes, Revolver-sama.”

The world spins around them, and he feels disoriented for a moment, before his attention is forcefully brought back to focus by what the room had morphed into. He feels his breath stop at the sight before him.

Coral rays of light spill around them, dyeing the floor and the walls around them orange. In front of them, there’s a familiar street, with houses lining both sides, Revolver and Pandor standing at the cross-section where the street intersects with another – their shadows long and ominous in the silence.

He knows this place.

It’s where he had first met Yuusaku as a child.

A part of him rejoices, because Yuusaku is here, but a larger part of him wants to shrink into himself, close his eyes and cover his ears – to pretend that he’s not seeing this.

Someone giggles, and they snap to attention, looking around for the source, Revolver silently glad for the distraction until –

“That’s Yuusaku’s voice.” The words fall from his mouth before he’s even aware of them. Pandor turns her head to look at him, but Revolver pays her no mind.

“Onii-chan, who are you guys?” Like a mirage, a younger, six-year-old Fujiki Yuusaku flickers into view. He’s wearing the same clothes he’d been wearing when Ryouken had kidnapped him for the Lost Incident – that same darned brown jacket, light green shirt, jeans and boots. Revolver feels his breath catch in his throat, eyes widening as he stares down at the child, momentarily paralysed from the horror filling his entire being.

“Revolver-sama?” Pandor questions, eyes darting between him and Yuusaku, looking rightfully confused by the situation. He’s pretty sure that she’s made the connection that this is Playmaker’s younger self. Upon hearing his name, the child’s eyes grow bigger in what looked to Revolver like wonder.

“Your name is Revolver? That’s so cool!” His head feels light despite the mechanisms built into his avatar to prevent any kind of physiological influences while in Link VRAINS. It’s all psychological, he knows, he understands, but those damned bright green eyes shining up at him in wonder bring up memories he does not want to revisit. Some things are meant to be buried deep in his heart.

“I – yes.” He can’t believe he’s stuttering in front of a six-year-old. Yuusaku tilts his head to one side, before tiptoeing to get a better look at him. Revolver finds himself squatting down automatically to help the other do so, not understanding why. The child hums, eyes darting all around, before beaming up at him again.

“You remind me of someone I know!” A sinking feeling in his chest, and he thinks _oh,_ he has to stop this _child_ from speaking because he knows what’s coming next.

“I bumped into him just there!” A tiny hand – the same one that enabled him to fight and stay alive during the Lost Incident – points towards the street corner, and Revolver has to fight to keep a straight face because _what kind of nightmare is this_?

“Revolver-sama.” The voice of his AI snaps him back to reality. Feeling grounded again, he turns his attention back to Yuusaku, wishing he could take off his helmet and do something about this headache that’s forming.

“I’m looking for him, have you seen him? He has white hair and really pretty blue eyes.” At this, Yuusaku turns to look at Pandor, before returning his attention to Revolver.

“No, we haven’t seen him.” He’s sure Pandor hears his voice crack as she turns to him, hands linked together in front of her. Not acknowledging that, he takes a deep breath to settle down.

“But we’re also looking for someone…. A teenager, about my age, in a black and green body suit, has red hair with yellow and pink highlights?” Yuusaku loses his cheer at this, tiny shoulders tensing and expression turning into a frown. He narrows his eyes at Revolver.

“…Why are you looking for him?” This kid knows something, Revolver presses his lips into a thin line. There’s something wrong here, but he can’t pinpoint what exactly. He sees Pandor tense up from the corner of his eye.

“Revolver-sama, this child carries –”

“…. You’re the bad person the voice tells me to avoid.” With this, he turns and tries to run, but Revolver is faster, grabbing the child by the hood of his jacket. Yuusaku screams, voice sharp, and for a second Ryouken’s a child again, and he has to fight every inch of his being to not let go, reaching to keep a gentle but firm grip on his small wrist.

“– the code of the virus.” Pandor finishes the sentence, sighing in relief. “I apologise for taking so long with the scan, but there was a huge block of code I couldn’t access – and still can’t. It took me ages to filter through them and find the virus code.” Yuusaku scowls at Pandor, tugging at his wrist. When Revolver’s grip does not loosen, he sighs and looks up at the avatar, face twisted into a pout.

“… What is she talking about? The voice is telling me to not listen, but I feel like I can trust you.” That is also part of what’s bothering him.

“What voice? The same one that tells you to think in threes?” Emerald-coloured eyes brighten again at Revolver’s words, and Yuusaku grins, toothless and joyful. It’s so blinding that he almost had to turn away.

“How do you know, onii-chan? Do you hear that voice as well?” The other’s excitement makes Revolver’s stomach churn – because he _was that voice_ , so there’s no way Yuusaku could’ve heard him say that. What’s more, it makes no sense that Yuusaku is in the network, in his very much real-life, child form.

“I… No, but the friend whom I’m searching for hears it as well.” It’s not technically a lie, maybe a half-truth at best….

Okay, maybe a quarter-of-the-truth, since Fujiki Yuusaku is not a friend, and he’s no longer – hopefully – hearing Ryouken’s voice from ten years back.

Yuusaku only looks confused, biting his lips and looking down, twiddling his interlaced fingers.

“Come with us,” The suggestion catches the young child off guard, and he looks up at Revolver with what looked like hope and absolute trust in his eyes. It brings Revolver back to that day – when they had bumped into each other in the sunset – and he softens slightly, holding his hand out towards Yuusaku.

“I… I want to go with you, but I can’t leave this place.” He scrunches his eyes shut, shaking his head. “I have to do what the voice says, or I’ll disappear!”

“What do you mean?”

“And I don’t want to disappear! I have to wait here until that boy comes, because I really want to tell him something, and if I disappear, I won’t get the chance –” Yuusaku withdraws within himself, clutching his hands together tightly, taking one step away from Revolver. 

“Yuusaku,” Revolver places his gloved hands on Yuusaku’s shoulders, trying to give him comfort and stopping him from stepping away. The child’s shoulders relax upon contact, still not looking up at him. He smiles at Yuusaku’s reaction, internally glad that he can still offer him support. The wisteria-haired boy sniffs, however, and tears start to fall from behind his fringe.

“Yuusaku, look at me.” At his gentle coaxing, the green-eyed boy looks up, cheeks damp with tears. His tear-filled eyes were brighter than usual with the light refracting off the tears, and Revolver has to remind himself to not get lost in them.

“Now,” He starts gently, patting Yuusaku’s shoulder, “Explain, slowly.”

“The voice – it’s saying that I can’t go with you like this. If I do, it’s going – going to make me disappear like it’s been doing to everyone else.” He starts crying again, the sobs escalating into a wail, and Revolver pulls him close, resting his chin on Yuusaku’s hair, letting him cry into his chest. Pandor slowly makes her way towards them, leaning down to rest a gently palm on Yuusaku’s shoulders.

“Revolver-sama, I think it’s safe to assume that the virus is in him, and it’s taken the form of the voice he’s hearing.” He doesn’t bother to inform her that the virus has taken the form of _his_ voice, a voice that had once given the young Yuusaku hope and courage, but she is correct in her conclusion.

“It seems like it,” He clicks his tongue, running through his options, as Yuusaku’s sobs die down and he pulls back to look at Revolver, sniffing.

“There… there is a way,” He raises an eyebrow at Yuusaku, urging him to continue. The child bites his lips, “You could beat me in a duel,” He suggests shyly, “The voice will go away if I lose.” Revolver hesitates at the suggestion – not only because of the possibility of his monsters hurting Yuusaku, but –

“You… you’re all right with duelling?” It’s the younger’s turn to look hesitant, Yuusaku frowning in confusion and nodding.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because you –” He stops himself, taking a deep breath. This is not real life – it’s more than likely that Playmaker, having been taken over by the virus, has taken the form of his younger self. It doesn’t explain the lack of obvious trauma shown, but it does explain why he’s okay with duelling when Playmaker was the one who’d told him he had shunned it for years after the Lost Incident.

“What’s wrong?” Yuusaku looks more confused, peering into his eyes, head tilted to the side. Revolver pushes him back slightly, shaking his head.

“It’s nothing. Why not just suggest duelling from the start?” At this, Yuusaku takes a step back, freeing himself gently from Revolver’s arm, looking up at him and smiling in a way that reminded him of a cross between a smile and Playmaker’s smirk.

“Because I’m really strong, and people who duel me always lose.” He then looks dejected, green eyes brimming with onset tears, “If you lose, you’ll disappear, just like the others. And I don’t want you to disappear.”

This incites a whirlpool of feeling in Revolver’s heart, as he’s torn between glaring, being exasperated and feeling warm. Yuusaku’s concern for him was very touching, and dare he say made him melt slightly inside – especially when delivered with those eyes. Ryouken has always been weak for them, and they’ve always been a magnet that he could never tear himself away from.

Anger, since the virus is now attacking people using Playmaker as a conduit. No way he’s letting this continue.

“I won’t lose,” He looks into Yuusaku’s eyes, and the boy nods, bringing up his left arm. Light gathers around it, particle by particle, and a second later he has Playmaker’s old model duel disk on his arm. The sight makes Revolver’s stomach twist, with screams echoing in his mind. He pushes those thoughts away, nods back at Yuusaku, before walking to the further end of the crossroad, Yuusaku having taken his place at the nearer end.

Pandor has taken steps back to give them space as well, eyes still fixed on the younger Yuusaku – he has to wonder just what’s so interesting about the child and makes a note to ask the AI later.

“Let’s have a good game, Revolver-oniichan!” The suffix address almost makes him stumble, but he catches himself in time – it’s easier to do so in virtual reality, he admits – to nod back at the child, a smile on his face.

“Aah, let’s.”

“Duel!”

“I’ll go first!” He watches, entranced, as Yuusaku picks up a card from his hand – they’re much tinier than he remembered from when he was eight, now that he’s almost an adult, just how did Yuusaku survive with such a tiny frame back then? How did any of the other children survive? – placing it on his disk.

“I summon Draconnet!” The seahorse-like Cyberse monster appears, its body glowing blue. “I also activate Draconnet’s special effect! When this card is normal summoned, I can special summon a level 2 or lower monster in from my hand or deck in defence.” Yuusaku beams at him.

“Appear, Bitron!” Revolver can’t say he’s surprised at the appearance of Cyberse monsters – since it wasn’t a young Yuusaku in front of him actually, it would make sense for him to have Playmaker’s cards as well.

However, he hesitates in being too aggressive during the duel, the idea of hurting the young child leaving a nasty taste in his mouth, and eventually pays for it as he stares down at Firewall Dragon and Cyberse Quantum Dragon simultaneously. Yuusaku is frowning at him from where he stands.

“Revolver-oniichan, you’re not playing seriously, are you?”

“… You’re going to get hurt if I do.” He admits reluctantly, and the boy’s features scrunch up into an angry pout.

“You said we’d have a good duel, so play seriously!” The six-year-old stomps his foot on the ground, placing both his hands on his hips. “You don’t have to worry about hurting me, I can take it.” He offers with cheer, and Revolver’s mouth twists, weighing his options: either defeating Yuusaku or being defeated himself, neither of which particularly appeal to him. However, to save Yuusaku from the virus…

“My turn, draw! I activate the first effect of Boot Sector Launch, and special summon Anesthrokket Dragon and Autorokket Dragon in defense position. Next, I normal summon a tuner, Rokket Synchron, and activate its special effect: I can special summon a Dark Dragon monster level 5 or higher from my graveyard in defense position. Return, Speedburst Dragon!” Green eyes look across the field at him, bright and full of contagious joy, Yuusaku holding his small hands in front of him, his right hand clenched in anticipation. Revolver feels the corner of his lips lift.

“I tune Level 1 Rokket Synchron with Level 1 Anesthrokket Dragon and Level 6 Speedburst Dragon! Heroic dragon! Fire by transforming your ferocious fangs into bullets! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Level 8, Borreload Savage Dragon!”

The bright light that accompanies his Synchro monster reflects into stars in Yuusaku’s eyes, and Revolver’s reminded of his first impression of Yuusaku as a child. He had thought the other child had looked like a fae, with his shining emerald green eyes, tender but bright smile, and hair that reminded him of the transient wisteria flowers. Ryouken had been immediately taken by the other. That had been the reason why he had chosen Yuusaku of all the children he had met to bring home, following his father’s instructions, innocently ignorant of the hell that awaited the beautiful child whose hand he had held in his.

“Woah… This is so cool!” Yuusaku praises, voice melodious. It tugs at Revolver’s heart, because he had never seen Yuusaku duel as a child before the Lost Incident, and this image of Yuusaku draws him in like a dancing flame attracting a moth. It’s likely that Yuusaku will never show this level of excitement towards anyone or anything again, so Revolver returns his comment with a smile, engraving the image in front of him into his heart.

“Glad you think so, I activate Savage Dragon’s special effect. When this card is synchro summoned, I can target one Link Monster in my graveyard and equip it to this card! It gains half the ATK of the equipped monster, and Borrel counters equal to the Link Rating of the targeted monster.” He holds his hand up, calling the name of another one of his trusted monsters “I select Topologic Trisbaena!” The translucent image of his Cyberse monster overlaps with Borreload Savage Dragon’s, and the ferocious dragon gains four bullets in its gun-like torso. Looking at Yuusaku, he sees the boy grinning, all teeth, and his own smile widens.

“Are you ready, Yuusaku?”

“Always!”

“Borreload Savage Dragon, attack Cyberse Quantum Dragon!”

_fragments of innocence,_

Revolver wins. However, he takes no time to enjoy his victory as he dashes to where Yuusaku is seated on the ground, shoulders heaving slightly as he catches his breath. Dropping on one knee, Revolver reaches forward to place a hand on Yuusaku’s shoulder, trying to offer support. The child reaches up slowly to place his smaller one on it, before turning to look at him, still smiling.

“Thank you for the duel, Revolver-oniichan.” Yuusaku stands slowly, and Revolver lets him, fingers curling around the child’s hand that has tightened its grip on his. His current position lets them maintain eye contact without straining either parties. He was about to speak when Yuusaku shivers, glowing white and letting out a soft cry.

“Yuusaku!” It lasts for a second, before a light shoots out from Yuusaku’s body, and the boy moans in discomfort, letting go of his hand and collapsing into his arms. Revolver catches him, being careful not to jostle the tiny child as Yuusaku gathers himself, legs wobbling.

“That voice is gone – and I’ll most likely disappear soon too.” He looks up at Revolver, a content smile on his face, and Revolver’s eyes widen at seeing Yuusaku’s body slowly fading from his feet up.

“Revolver-oniichan, I’m glad we got to duel like this. It’s… it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do.” Yuusaku clutches at his cape, “… It’s all I’ve wanted to do for a long time, aside from finding and saving you, of course.” Revolver sucks in a breath at that.

“Your memories –”

“I don’t have them – at least not everything. But I know, I’ll always know.” His eyes are earnest, “You and that boy are the same person.” It was a statement, and Revolver had to look away because Yuusaku’s eyes are bright – too blinding and too honest for him to face them head on.

“I know you were the person who had helped kidnap me, but I also know you’re my saviour. It became obvious through our duel,” The child smiles, innocent and not a hint of blame in his voice, and presses his forehead to Revolver’s chest, Revolver tightening his arms around him instinctively, desperately wishing he could stop the other from disappearing.

“There are three others like me out there,” He almost misses Yuusaku’s words, decreasing in volume and strength as more of his body starts to become translucent. “Find all of us and you’ll find who you’re looking for.” Finally, gathering all of his last strength, he pushes himself up again to look Revolver in the eye.

“I’m glad I met you, and I hope you remember this.” With that, Yuusaku’s body glows blue, and dissolves into a shower of silver and blue particles. Revolver hisses, like an injured feral animal, one that has had something precious taken from him, trying to think of ways to not lose Yuusaku. The particles gather, before moving around him in an organised fluid motion. It is an enchanting sight, and Revolver barely has the time to react as they settle in front of him again, before dashing forward and disappearing into his chest.

“Revolver-sama!” Pandor calls out, but he gestures to her that he’s all right, his other hand hovering over his chest. There’s no pain, but a soothing warmth instead. Images flash through his mind, and he starts seeing double as the image of the street overlaps with the current environment. He sees his younger self, dressed in his favourite grey sweater and white locks dusted with twilight, eyes bright, one hand extended out to him. There’s happiness, overwhelming joy.

 _“Hey, you, think of three things.”_ Reverbs around him in a white room, and there’s curiosity, before comfort, before he associates the voice with _saviour_. A whisper of safety, and he drowns in them, holds onto them tightly so that he doesn’t lose himself. He wants to meet the person on the other end – were they trapped just like him? To do that, he has to keep fighting – in order to survive, to go home, to meet him one day.

These are Fujiki Yuusaku’s memories, he realises, pressing a palm against his chest, feeling the remnants – that had been what the child Yuusaku was, fragments of Yuusaku’s memories – sleeping within him. In the distance, far away, he could feel the pulse of three others, one flickering, one raging, and another steady but strong, but there’s a certain taint to all of them that the fragment in him lacked.

Yuusaku had told him to find the other three, then he’ll be able to find who he had come for. Does that mean if he found the other three, he’ll be able to piece Playmaker’s memories back together again?

Memories… the things that a person’s consciousness accesses constantly… That’s it! He turns toward Pandor, nodding towards the direction of the door.

“Let’s go, Pandor, I’ll have you head back to the mansion, I’m going to continue on alone.”

“But Revolver-sama – ”

“I’ll explain on the way!” The door opens without resistance the moment Revolver approaches, and the communication device on his ear fizzes to life.

 _“Revolver-sama! Are you all right?”_ Spectre’s voice comes through, and Revolver smiles in reply.

“We’re fine. More importantly, I’ve figured out what’s going on.” His D-Board materialises, and he wastes no time jumping onto it and gliding through the data material in Neo Domino’s networks once again, Pandor following behind.

“This virus doesn’t rob a user of their consciousness; it splits their consciousness into pieces.” Sounds of disbelief from the other side, but his lieutenants remain quiet and allow him to continue. “That’s why the targeted users have all fallen unconscious. Not because their consciousness has been taken, but because it’s not complete.” It also explains why none of those affected are dead. “I figured out from duelling one such fragment of Playmaker just now – he told me that there are another three parts out there. I’m sending Pandor back to you, she has a copy of the code of the virus that resides in Fujiki Yuusaku, use that to work on a cure programme.”

_“What about you, Revolver-sama?”_

“I’m going to find the other fragments of Playmaker’s consciousness.” Technically, he doesn’t have to. If he could code something that pieces the consciousness of those affected back together, finding the other pieces is something that’s redundant. However, something tells him that the process isn’t that simple, and Ryouken longs for Yuusaku. Longs for the kind of duel that he had just now, longs for the affection that fills him when Yuusaku is freed from the virus’s control. That, and a certain egoistic part of him knows he will only be satisfied if he gets to reclaim and piece together Playmaker’s scattered consciousness. “Spectre, you’re my guide.”

_“Yes, sir.”_

They return to Den City’s Link VRAINS server via the same portal, and Pandor splits off from him from there, headed towards the mansion’s network system.

_“Where to next?”_

Revolver closes his eyes, focuses on what’s beyond the narrow network walls of Link VRAINS, feels the three sparks again, before settling on the one that gave him the feeling of an inferno burning. He briefly wonders if this is what Yuusaku’s Link Sense feels like – he’d have to ask when the other reawakens.

“We’re headed to Maiami City. I’ll have to trouble you for another portal.” His long-time friend replies an affirmative, and he directs his D-Board to a desolated alleyway. A circle opens up on his right, showing a bright sunny cityscape on the other side.

He doesn’t hesitate in riding through it.

Maiami’s network differs starkly from Neo Domino’s. It’s not a city with as many high-rise buildings, and as such, the only skyrise tower in the network is one representing the Leo Corporation’s network system. Revolver ignores the obelisk-like building in the centre of the main network, concentrating again on finding the fragment that’s so similar to the one sleeping within his being right now. This one feels drastically different from the child-like wonder and brightness of the child Yuusaku, it’s sharp and acidic, lashing out at its environment indiscriminately. And Revolver knows this anger, has felt it directed at him countless times before – back when they were still enemies, back when Yuusaku hadn’t known who he was. It almost feels nostalgic, if it didn’t plague him this much. This fragment is most likely the one that has claimed the most victims.

“Head towards the East.” The sudden reverb in his mind makes him jump, eyes widening.

“…Yuusaku?” He whispers tentatively, and there’s a giggle.

“That’s right, Revolver-oniichan.” A slight tug at his sleeve, Yuusaku fades into view not unlike how he had done the first time. However, he remains translucent and floats in the air right beside his D-Board, and Revolver can see the bright colours of buildings representing Maiami’s pocket networks through him.

“How…”

“What you’re seeing now is a mere projection of me in your mind, since my fragment is currently within you. There’s no other place for me to go otherwise.” The boy tilts his head, still smiling. “I can bring you to the others.”

“… That’d be great.” While Yuusaku’s reply had actually led to more questions, this isn’t his first priority, and Revolver has to get to the next piece of Yuusaku’s memories.

He heads in the East as instructed, feeling Yuusaku’s gentle presence beside him juxtaposing the harshness of the fragment that they were approaching.

_shards of vengefulness,_

It wasn’t difficult to locate this fragment at all – unlike the child Yuusaku, he hadn’t been hiding. The virus was difficult to track if one was hacking into the network from outside, but in the virtual reality of the vast network, it was easy to find it if one knew what they were searching for.

…Or maybe having a guide helps as well. Yuusaku shivers beside him at the hostility that rolls off the avatar below them like waves as vicious as some of the strongest data storms he’s encountered.

“Playmaker.” The name falls from his lips upon seeing the hair dyed a sunset red, that form covered in the green and black skin-tight catsuit, and Yuusaku shakes his head.

“That’s Unknown.”

“Unknown?”

“Who Playmaker had been before, well, before he became Playmaker.” Yuusaku offers with a lopsided smile. Unknown tenses up, having seen their shadow approaching, turning around to face them.

 _“Revolver-sama, please be careful,”_ Spectre’s calm voice comes over his communication device, _“We’ve detected a lot of activity in this specific area – it’s likely that this… fragment,”_ He hesitates, like he’s testing the word, _“Is more aggressive than the one you’d met previously.”_

“Revolver,” Unknown spits out the name like it’s something vile in his mouth, and Revolver remembers just how angry Playmaker had been before he had revealed his identity to him. It makes sense, since Unknown had come before Playmaker, he wasn’t surprised by the amount of hostility the other exhibits. However, he was surprised that the other knew his name.

“You know me?” Bringing his D-Board closer to the ground, he hops off with easy grace and recalls his D-Board with a wave of his hand. In this position, it’s easy to tell the difference between Unknown and Playmaker. Unknown was a tad bit shorter than Playmaker whose chin came up to Revolver’s shoulders. Presumably, when Yuusaku had created his second avatar, he had adjusted it to fit his growth spurt over the years – just like what Revolver had done with his.

“The Knights of Hanoi’s leader? Of course, I know you, you’re the person I have to defeat, after all.” The timeline doesn’t match, because Playmaker had already been, well, Playmaker, when he had found out about Revolver. Yuusaku, sensing his confusion, offers some input to clear it up.

“He has part of Playmaker’s memories as well – I don’t know how much, though.” Revolver hums in reply, possibilities running through his mind. “I probably do. Don’t worry about it.”

“Duel me, Revolver!”

Unlike Yuusaku from before, Unknown doesn’t hesitate in lashing out violently at him, glaring at him while activating his duel disk. Revolver feels a surge of rush through him, a grin breaking out on his face as he activates his own duel protocol in reply. It’s been a long time since he’s duelled Playmaker with all his strength.

“Gladly, Unknown.” The other scowls, the flames of hatred flaring up in his eyes.

“Duel!”

Yuusaku had been strong, but Unknown was beyond that, forceful and intense, he has Cyberse Clock Dragon out against Borreload quickly, after avoiding the worst of damages to his LP. There’s a certain pattern to how the fragments duelled, Revolver realises, not seeing some monsters Playmaker had been fond of using that had appeared during his duel with Yuusaku.

“Yuusaku,” The child appears with a curious sound, eyes looking at him, waiting for him to continue his question. “Do all the fragments have the same decks?”

“You really are smart, Revolver-oniichan,” Green eyes close in a smile, “No, we don’t. Our decks are split from the original one we were carrying, so our ace monsters are different, despite some of our other cards overlapping.” That makes sense, explains his observations, and he files that information away in his brain for later.

“I activate Cyberse Clock Dragon’s effect! When this card is Fusion Summoned, I can send cards from the top of my deck equal to the combined Link Ratings of the Fusion Materials used for its Fusion Summon! The combined Link Ratings of Decode Talker and Clock Spartoi is 5, therefore, I send 5 cards to the graveyard, and Cyberse Clock Dragon gains 5000 ATK!” This increases Cyberse Clock Dragon’s ATK to a whopping 7500, but Revolver wasn’t too concerned. While Playmaker had been careful, Unknown seems to lack the same caution in the face of duelling Revolver.

It’ll be his downfall, he clenches his jaw, careful not to let his smile show.

“Cyberse Clock Dragon, attack Borreload Dragon!”

“You’re too naïve, Unknown. Reverse card, open: Holy Barrier – Mirror Force!” The surprise in Unknown’s expression tells him his gamble has paid off. When Yuusaku had told him that Unknown only possesses a part of Playmaker’s memories, Revolver had counted on the fact that because Unknown hadn’t known his true identity, that he only possessed Playmaker’s memories up until before the Tower of Hanoi incident. “When my opponent declares an attack, I destroy all Attack Position monsters my opponent controls! Be gone, Cyberse Clock Dragon!”

Unknown hisses like an angry cat at seeing Cyberse Clock Dragon explode into bright pixels, completely caught off guard by Mirror Force – Playmaker had walked into a battle with him with a counter in mind, thanks to Ghost Girl and Go Onizuka, but Unknown did not have the convenience of having that knowledge.

It hurts to see Yuusaku being blown away by Borreload again, but Revolver orders a direct attack all the same, bringing Unknown’s LP down to zero and sending the other flying backwards, a harsh scream tearing from his mouth. The teenager stays down for a few moments, before pushing himself up with shaky arms, breaths heavy. Revolver makes his way towards him, Yuusaku mumbling his name in warning. He reaches forward tentatively –

only for the other to slap his hand away.

“I don’t need your help!”

His body glows with the same white light that had enveloped Yuusaku previously, and Yuusaku lets go of Revolver to step forward, placing a hand on the same shoulder. Unknown lets him, visibly calming down as he peeks up at the boy through his wild fuchsia and yellow-coloured bangs, never acknowledging Revolver. He shivers when the white light leaves him, and Revolver would compare it to a shooting star if he didn’t know how harmful that entity was.

“Unknown, come with us.” Yuusaku squats down to peer at Unknown directly, and Revolver sees Unknown falter, eyes darting between Yuusaku and Revolver, before disintegrating into a shower of bright lavender and dark violet sparkles. The child cups his hand and holds them out towards the sky, and the wave gathers in his palms into an orb, illuminating Yuusaku’s features by dyeing them a soft purple and enhancing the colour of his hair. With a periwinkle gleam in his eyes, he turns back to Revolver and runs to his side, holding out the orb of light.

Revolver falters at that, looking between the orb and Yuusaku, who beams at him. Slowly, he reaches out and presses his gloved fingertips tentatively against the glowing sphere, entranced by the way it loses form again into tendrils of light, twirling up his elbow and spreading over his avatar like a thin translucent layer of light.

The fear hits him first, followed by the uncontrollable rage a split-second later. He gasps, losing footing at feeling the sudden emptiness in his chest. It feels like free falling into an endless void without any ground in sight – it would’ve been better to die on collision instead of being subjected to this hollow despair of never being able to find and grip onto anything steady. It feels like he’s drowning as he’s falling because there’s no help and he eventually can’t breathe with all the air hitting his face and chest.

But he’s determined, because he knows he can’t take this lying down – three things to keep going, three things to _win_ – so that the people who’d made him this way could pay. The hatred boils scorching hot like magma in him, and he refuses to stop until he’s tracked down every single one of the Knights of Hanoi and eliminated them all. He’ll never be safe otherwise, knowing that the threat is still out there.

_“Revolver-sama!”_

There’s a tiny hand on his bicep, the touch light and tentative, and Revolver snaps out of his – Unknown’s – memories, breath heavy and eyes wide behind his visor. He’s kneeling with one knee on the ground and there’s the feeling of cold sweat on him, however impossible that is in virtual reality. All he could see were Yuusaku’s bright green eyes, directed at him in worry. The wisteria-haired boy tightens his grip just slightly, and Revolver feels his consciousness being slightly more grounded with the feeling. Yuusaku bites his lips, before hesitantly opening his mouth. 

“Are you all right?” Revolver nods, an automatic response more than anything. He can’t remember when he’d been this shaken last, probably when his father died and Fujiki Yuusaku had barged into his home pleading with him to stop the Tower of Hanoi. Taking a deeper breath, he closes his eyes to situate himself, the torrent of emotion that had accompanied Unknown’s disappearance into his being – he’s still trying to wrap his mind around _that_ – slowly stabilising itself into calm waters.

“I’m fine,” He answers both Spectre and Yuusaku, voice hoarse. Had he screamed? It wouldn’t be a surprise if he had, the fear was overwhelming, lingering like echoes in his heart even now despite his mind knowing it’s not his. Bracing himself, he stands up with some effort to suppress his wobbles. Yuusaku doesn’t have to know how shaken up he is.

_“But Revolver-sama, you were –”_

“I’m fine, Spectre.” Revolver insists to his aid, before turning to Yuusaku.

“That was Unknown’s part of the memories.” He remarks, and Yuusaku nods, still looking up at him with examining eyes.

“… Is he in me as well?” With Yuusaku revealing himself, Revolver’s now much more interoceptive of his inner world, and he feels Yuusaku’s soft warmth glowing from within the depths of his mind, along with a very recent addition of sharp bitterness.

“Yes,” Yuusaku seems to ponder over something, one finger to his lips and eyes looking away from him towards the sky. “He doesn’t want to speak to you, though.”

Figures, Revolver couldn’t blame him. If he is the epitome of Fujiki’s fears and anger, then there’s no way he’s going to speak to the leader of the organisation who’s responsible for his trauma.

The trauma that Fujiki Yuusaku had borne, like heavy shackles on his feet. The fear that he’d felt had been crippling. Yet despite all that, he had fought tooth and nail for revenge and to uncover the truth that had ultimately set him free. It’s nothing short of amazing in Ryouken’s eyes, and he can still see Unknown’s determined glare, lingering and overlapping with Yuusaku’s bright and innocent ones.

“That’s fine.” Revolver replies, reaching up to pat Yuusaku on the head, turning the child’s frown into a grin.

“Let’s go.” He hops onto his D-Board and reaches a hand towards the child despite the moot point of the action – Yuusaku’s in him, and at the risk of simplifying the issue and being rude to Yuusaku, Revolver’s inclined to describe him like a spirit who would just follow the person they’ve latched onto.

Yuusaku’s tiny hand slips into his, and he interlinks their fingers. The pure joy on the child’s face – the way his eyes lit up – was evidence enough that Revolver’s action had been the right one.

He focuses on Yuusaku’s soft and lovely presence beside him, reminding himself to stay away from the brewing hatred that’s stewing somewhere within him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos/Comments greatly appreciated!


	2. i: what the star found in this word (part ii)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> index (part ii):  
> pieces of solitude,  
> and despair,  
> and a heart full of love, belonging to the one he loves.  
> the story ends  
> brightly, as all joyful stories should.

_pieces of solitude,_

The next location Yuusaku leads him to is, ironically, Old Link VRAINS. His communication system fizzes out the moment they enter the remnants of Revolver’s old mistake, and it was a mistake in his foresight to not make sure these areas were covered in their new communication systems, but there had been no need need to step into this area for quite some time – it’s been sealed off by SOL completely after they had reactivated the Tower of Hanoi – so he had placated Spectre’s worries and turned off communications as they had approached the area, lest he gets bombarded by static the moment he enters, a headache which he doesn’t need at the moment.

Revolver narrows his eyes at the world painted in shades of maroon and grey, the Tower of Hanoi still there in the distance – it had been easy to break past the security SOL has set on their old server, and while Revolver planned to bring this up to Zaizen at the next meeting, he’s more than certain that it’s due to his abilities as a hacker rather than SOL becoming slack.

He sees the outline of a green-and-black-clad avatar as he approaches their destination, Playmaker’s hair shockingly bright against the dull backdrop of the world, two gleaming emeralds against the lacklustre skies.

“Revolver,” Unlike his other counterparts, Playmaker greets him rather cordially, looking up at him with those green eyes that had previously reflected child Yuusaku’s excitement and Unknown’s hatred. Despite this, there’s a wall that lies between them that he’s unable to put words to. It’s not the blatant antagonism that Unknown had shown towards him - that Revolver himself had once placed between the both of them - nor was it the cool distance that they had nurtured between them during their war with the Light Ignis.

He wants to think that it isn’t immense sadness that he sees in Playmaker’s sharp eyes, but the lack of usual spark that he sees in the other’s irises tells him otherwise.

“Playmaker.” Returning the greeting politely, he hops off his D-Board, the younger Yuusaku floating beside him to rest his translucent feet on the floor with a tiny “oompf” sound. His older counterpart turns to look at him, eyes softening just the tad bit slightly, before closing them, lips parting in a soft breath that could be a sigh.

“Let's do this.”

Revolver thanks his lucky stars that Playmaker doesn’t ask what he’s doing here, or comment on the presence of the younger Yuusaku beside him. If there had been a hint of sadness in the other’s eyes, then Revolver pretends to have never seen it.

“Let’s.” He nods, brushing off Yuusaku’s worried glances between them and readying his duel disk.

“Duel!”

“I’ll go first!”

It pleases Ryouken to know that Playmaker retained his sharp edge for duelling, even after a few months of absence from everyone’s lives – considering duel tactics are everchanging, it’s remarkable that Playmaker has managed to stay at on top of his game even without a formidable opponent for the past few months. He has Firewall eXceed Dragon out against Revolver and Borreload eXcharge Dragon in a smooth move, and Revolver drinks in the motions that he goes through elegantly during XYZ summon, admiring the graceful way he brings his arms together during the card overlay.

The summon doesn’t change the fact that Revolver has Playmaker cornered, however. The fact that the fragments have different decks and could only use some of Fujiki Yuusaku’s duel tactics had played out in Revolver’s favour, because he has his entire array of monsters at his beck and call and has no qualms in holding back – Yuusaku will understand.

“I don’t get it.” The words that fall from Playmaker’s mouth are soft, and Revolver could barely catch them amidst the roaring of their monsters. Firewall eXceed Dragon’s counters light up his features periodically, dusting warm light across his face that heightens the shadows over his eyes.

“I don’t get it!” Playmaker repeats, louder this time, as he finally looks up. Revolver takes a step back, recoiling from how bright his eyes were brimming with tears and filled with an enormous sadness - sadness that he wants to alleviate but doesn’t know how.

Hasn’t that always been the case? Ryouken always seem to make things more difficult for everyone - Yuusaku especially, when he’d invited the pretty boy with prettier eyes back to play Duel Monsters, when he’d tried to commit genocide and attempted to drag Playmaker down with him -

“Why are you - why do you always do this? Haven’t you already said your goodbye? So why are you here? What are you trying to accomplish, even?” And Revolver thinks Playmaker’s less of a hero and more of a lost boy, confused and scared at the moment, with his cracked voice and eyes blown wide in desperation, so different from the person who’d once stood in front of him, declaring that they will be able to grasp a new future together.

“...What happened to you, Playmaker?” Playmaker shakes his head, tearing his eyes away from Revolver to face the floor, drawing into and hugging himself, fingers gripping tightly onto his cards. His whole being shakes, and Revolver can see him biting tightly at his lips. The whole picture claws at his heart, and Revolver wants nothing but to throw the duel just to cross the space between them.

“Revolver-oniichan, don’t.” Yuusaku whispers gently at him, eyes not leaving Playmaker’s broken form. It’s only then that he registers a hand tugging at his right arm, which was already half-raised towards his duel disk.

“...Ai had to die to save me.”

“...What?”

“He ran his simulations. If he continued to live, I’d end up dying.” Revolver’s heart clenches at how clipped and subdued Playmaker’s tone was, like it’s something that he’s resigned himself to.

“You, too, Revolver.” Playmaker heaves in a deep breath, finally turning to face him with narrowed eyes and lips pressed into a straight line. The breeze around them picks up amidst the silent floating of their monsters, and it slowly gets stronger, his bullet earrings clinking against his cheeks. Yuusaku shivers beside him, and he reaches down on instinct to hold the younger’s hand, still resting on his arm, in his. Green eyes narrow at the action, sadness turning into acidic anger.

“You shouldn’t have come. What’s the point of doing this if you’re not going to stay? I don’t need you to save me! I don’t even need to be saved!”

“You and Ai… you’re both the same. Why won’t any of you listen to what I have to say for once?”

Those words struck deep in Revolver’s heart, but amongst the sour tightness of his beating heart, he finds himself smiling.

“... This is like a reverse of that time.” He whispers, gently and contemplating, eyes closing, and he finds himself back in a time where he’d thrown everything away. The blithe chime of his earrings, the roaring winds in his ears, the destruction around them - and there’s the two of them facing each other, separated by the chessboard of fate.

“I’ll save you.” Even if Playmaker rejects him, even if it costs Ryouken his own life. It’s a payback of sorts, and there’s irony in his action, but Yuusaku - Playmaker - can give him hell about that later.

He orders eXcharge Dragon’s attack, and watches, entranced, as it decimates Firewall eXceed Dragon and the rest of Playmaker’s LP in one charged Thunder Borrel Cannon. It’s a shame that the attack is too bright for him to make out any of Playmaker’s facial features, and he wonders if the other would be even a little at peace with this, like how Revolver had been at the end of his duel with Soulburner.

When the light fades completely, the black-and-green clad boy was kneeling and with palms pressed flat on the ground, heaving with his back rising and falling. Revolver doesn’t hesitate in running towards the other, switching his visor back to normal, feeling Yuusaku following with his shorter legs pattering against the floor.

“Playmaker!” There are spots of dampness on the ground, and Revolver realises that Playmaker - stoic, confident Playmaker - is crying. He freezes, a hand halfway raised to help Playmaker up, unsure of how to proceed. Unlike with a crying younger Yuusaku, who he had known, on some weird instinctive level probably left over from his younger self, how to comfort, he had no idea how to deal with his crying adversary who had always stood in front of him bravely with conviction.

He’s saved from doing anything when Yuusaku skips to them, bending down in an attempt to look at Playmaker’s eyes, before twisting his face into an expression that is a cross between a frown and a pout. Vibrant green eyes turn to look at him, unusually stern for a child, demanding him to Do Something. Revolver jerks - just the slightest bit, he wasn’t intimidated by the child, even if he is Yuusaku - and unfreezes himself, clearing his throat the slightest bit. He looks down at Playmaker, feeling a sense of loss as to what to do.

But he hadn’t led a cyberterrorist organisation for nothing. Slowly, under Yuusaku’s expectant and oddly firm gaze, he rests a hand on Playmaker’s back, feeling the boy flinch at the touch, but not pulling away.

“Playmaker…”

The other was still heaving, and Revolver could hear his sniffs, although they were slowly becoming lighter. Slowly, Playmaker looks up and meets Yuusaku’s eyes, lips pressed into a tight, straight line. His brows were slightly furrowed and there’s a whirlpool of emotions in his eyes - confusion, envy and longing. Child Yuusaku does not recoil from those intense emotions, however, and returns his older counterpart’s gaze unwaveringly. Revolver leans down at this, and Playmaker turns his head to face him instead, eyes slowly hardening - a defensive wall against him.

Yuusaku makes a frustrated sound, facial features scrunching up, reaching out to cup Playmaker’s face. The gentleness is a stark difference from his expression, and Playmaker recoils from the contact.

“Playmaker.”

A few seconds of wordless contact between the two counterparts, although it feels like forever to Ryouken, who felt like he’s intruding on a moment that should, by all rights, be privy only to Fujiki Yuusaku.

Playmaker breaks the eye contact between him and his younger self, staring back down at the floor instead, before sighing and disappearing into a shower of blue and green light that brightened the surrounding area they’re in.

Ryouken was mentally prepared this time for the onslaught of Playmaker’s memories emotions, having guessed from what Playmaker had said during the duel that it would highly unpleasant.

That did not make the suffocating loneliness and despair that assaulted him when the sparkles disappeared into his avatar any easier to deal with. He chokes on them, and barely holds back the tears in his eyes – it’s amazing how Yuusaku’s emotions can make something that’s usually impossible in the cyber world possible – closing them to take a deep breath.

He sees the Ignis of Darkness – Ai – in human form, facing down tanks, and Yuusaku, that foolish little idiot, rushing to protect him as they open fire on the AI inhabiting a SOLtis. The bullet pierces through Yuusaku instead, and –

Ryouken screams.

_and despair,_

“Revolver-oniichan, onii-chan! Wake up!”

His eyelids are heavy, fighting against his efforts to lift them repeatedly. Through the blinks and drudging attempts, he sees the blur outline of child Yuusaku. Acting almost on instinct, he puts as much effort as he can to sit up, groaning, and pulls the child into his arms.

“Onii-chan, you’re awake!”

He tightens his hold on Yuusaku instead, the boy not fighting against it. Which is all well, because he’s Yuusaku and he’s here and not –

No, he’s not going to let himself think about that, not right now when there’s one more fragment of Yuusaku out there.

“What happened?” Revolver wasn’t really sure if he wanted to know, but he asked anyway, because he can only remember blacking out after seeing _that_ , accompanied by Yuusaku’s vast anguish that had threatened to hollow out his entire existence.

“…You screamed for quite some time and fainted soon after.” Yuusaku replies after a hesitant pause, pulling away to peer up at Revolver’s eyes under his visor, as if judging his reaction. “I guess Playmaker’s memories were a shock to you.”

“I’m sorry, that must’ve been scary.” Yuusaku shakes his head, wrapping his arms tightly around Revolver’s shoulders and burying his face into his collarbone.

“I’m used to it; they are my memories after all.” And it’s heart-breaking listening to Yuusaku talk about his trauma and painful experiences as if they’re a natural thing to him when they shouldn’t be.

Ryouken had Asou and Kyouko to shield him from the horrors of the world throughout his childhood, at least until he turned thirteen. Yuusaku hadn’t been so lucky, having grown up in the orphanage and left the place for his government-funded dilapidated apartment when he’d turned thirteen and the system could no longer support him. Maybe he’d been well-adjusted once, but Ryouken would never know. After the Lost Incident, pain and loneliness had become his only companions, and Yuusaku had grown up with both that the possibility of his death and the fear that had come with that had paled so much in comparison to his sadness at Ai’s choice to die.

He wished he knew what to say. But, for the first time in his life, he draws a blank.

“… I see.”

Yuusaku must’ve sensed his doubt and fear, because he pulls back, reaches down to take Revolver’s hands in his, looking at him with a smile.

“I’m alright. But are you?” Faced with those gentle green eyes, Revolver is unable to summon all of his frustration – that’s not necessarily directed at Yuusaku per se, but at his circumstances – against him at all. Why is this silly boy always putting others first?

“I am,” He smiles at Yuusaku, who takes another moment to search his eyes, before nodding and dropping his hands to step back. Revolver misses the contact for the briefest moment, before mentally chastising himself – this is really not the time to be doing this.

“The last fragment is near, follow me.”

He’s sure that Yuusaku is quite eager to piece his consciousness back together – he’s not sure how the whole thing works, but imagines it must be quite uncomfortable to know that your very self is in pieces, and having to face them constantly – as the boy jogs forward in Old Link VRAINS at a pace not unlike the one he’d been at when he had ran into Ryouken all those years ago.

Revolver shakes off that memory, and follows him, boots hitting the dried earth with each step. In the distance, he could see a gap in the earth where it looks like it forms a valley with the land on the opposite side and confirms his suspicion when Yuusaku stops at the edge, turning back to stare at him with firm eyes. There’s something else in his gaze that Revolver couldn’t quite put his finger on, but he has to reserve pondering on that for another time as well.

He’s so close to getting Fujiki Yuusaku back, the excitement is sending trills up his spine.

“It’s on the opposite side.” He nods, hopping onto his D-Board again, an arm around Yuusaku’s tiny form, manoeuvring it to sail across the valley. Chancing a glance down, he frowns at the endless darkness beneath their feet, what –

There’s no time to ponder on that as well, as the moment he crosses the midpoint of the space that separates the two sides, the world around them shifts quickly – a shroud of darkness, then white – he has to close his eyes and bend down to keep himself on his D-Board instead of giving into vertigo. 

_and a heart full of love, belonging to the one he loves._

Revolver’s breath hitches at the sight in front of him. They were in a white chapel, not unlike the one in Link VRAINS where he had first met Playmaker but colossal in size comparatively, but what caught his attention was the large object lying in the middle of the chapel, whatever limited blue light passing through the tinted windows shining down on it, giving the place a cold and dead impression.

Recalling his D-Board quickly, he made his way forward to get a closer look at the object, hoping that he’s wrong about its identity.

His eyes run over the dark coloured steel bars, wedged and intercrossed with each other in a grid-like pattern. Green leaves ran across perpendicular to the bars in two rows, enclosing them, joined by a row of leaves running parallel to the bars. They alleviate some animosity from the cage, making it look almost beautiful and grand, but Revolver knows it’s nothing but an over glorified bird cage.

One that he’s unfortunately very familiar with. The memories of looking at Playmaker’s fallen form from his Borreload’s attack surface in his mind, the two of them trapped in his father’s narrow and despondent vision for the future.

“Fire Prison…” The name of the card falls from his lips, and Yuusaku makes a distressed noise from where he stands beside him, tiny fingers tightening his grip on his hand. It’s not a surprise that he fears the cage in front of him, for Fire Prison is an anti-Cyberse card, Revolver tightens his grip in return, trying to offer the young boy some kind of comfort.

“Revolver-oniichan, look at that.” Yuusaku’s boyish alto draws him away from where his gaze was fixed on the gold crest with a ruby situated in the centre, going downwards to see a familiar figure resting in the middle of the cage, lying down and fingers crossed, resting above his chest. While Revolver could only see the top of his head, there’s no mistaking that dark blue hair laced with pink, and the design of the Den City High School’s uniform on his shoulders.

“Yuusaku,” The younger boy’s name slips from his lips entirely unwittingly this time, but he doesn’t respond. Yuusaku - child Yuusaku - tugs on his hand and starts moving from their current position, Revolver’s feet following him on their own accord - he’s still frozen by the sight of Yuusaku trapped in Fire Prison of all places. Child Yuusaku brings them to stop right by the bars, looking at Yuusaku’s unconscious form from his side. With their closer viewpoint, Fujiki Yuusaku seems to be asleep, his chest rising and falling slowly but steadily. He lets go of the child’s hand and raises both of his to grip at the bars of Fire Prison tightly, the other’s name on his lips again.

“He won’t wake.” Playmaker’s voice dances around him, eventually focusing on his right, the side not occupied by Child Yuusaku, hair of flames and green and black bodysuit flickering into being. Melancholy dances in those sharp green eyes as he looks straight at Yuusaku, never once turning his attention towards Ryouken. The sight produces a twinge in Ryouken’s heart, and he has to physically restrain himself from pulling Playmaker into his arms by clenching his fists, waiting for the other to continue.

“As long as you don’t get him out of here, he won’t wake.” Playmaker elaborates, for which Ryouken is eternally grateful for, because he doesn’t trust his voice not to crack at this moment, “Fire Prison is keeping his consciousness trapped within.”

“But,” He clears his throat, swallowing once to alleviate the dryness in his mouth - which is funny because this is the virtual realm and he shouldn’t be able to feel all these things here in Link VRAINS but he _does_ \- “But why? The virus needs its host to be conscious to spread, there’s no point in keeping its host _unconscious_ and _trapped_.”

_“That’s because we do not need a vessel to expand our influence from our core.”_

Child Yuusaku covers his ears and screams at the voice, slamming his eyes shut and facial features scrunched up in fear. The sound makes Revolver wince, unwanted flashbacks in his mind, but he lets go of the bars, kneeling down to draw his arms around the child, bringing him close to his chest, harshly shoving the images back into the tiny box he’s kept them sealed in his mind. The child heaves at the comfort offered, screams gradually decreasing into sobs into his chest. Beside them, Playmaker hisses quietly under his breath, clenching his fists and narrow green eyes poisonously fierce.

The voice that had spoken had no true origin, at least not one that Revolver could pinpoint. It reminds him of how Child Yuusaku and Playmaker’s voices had seemed to come from all around him before their materialisation. What sets this voice apart from the voices of Yuusaku’s fragments is the sense of utter wrongness, sending chills down Revolver’s back. It sounded like it was deep, gritty yet high-pitched and sharp, the disjointedness and utter wrongness making it excruciating to listen to.

A second hiss overlaps Playmaker’s, louder and more aggressive, and Revolver realises that Unknown had materialised on Playmaker’s other side, mirroring Playmaker’s poison in his eyes, his slightly shorter stature being held back by his older counterpart by a hand on his shoulder.

_“Welcome back, our fragments, and welcome, Kougami Ryouken.”_

“You’re… the _kamikakushi_?” While he doesn’t want to believe that a virus can have developed a will - much like how an AI can have free will in the first place - it is the only possible explanation he could think of at the moment. The child in his arms shivers and buries his face harder into Revolver’s chest.

_“Seems like that’s what the others are calling us… fair enough, we are indeed what you refer to as the kamikakushi_.”

A sense of existence, but not of identity? It’s like an infant, Revolver realises, and it’s using Yuusaku as a way of exploring the world, to expand, to _grow_.

“Why Yuusaku?” That’s what confuses Ryouken because there are literally thousands of other users out there - he’s sure Yuusaku isn’t the only one who has ventured out onto the edges of SOL’s network, so why pick Yuusaku? Because he’s spent the most amount of time there?

_“This boy has a strong presence in the network. He’s more connected to us than anyone else out there.”_

Yuusaku has the Link Sense which connects him to the network in a way no one else - not even Ryouken - could replicate, and this makes him special and useful to the virus? Before he could demand further information, Yuusaku’s body glows an eerie grey, a blood red mist bleeding into existence. He watches as Yuusaku’s eyes snap open, breath hitched in his throat as the blankness in the other’s eyes hits him. Child Yuusaku shivers in his arms, and Playmaker takes a step closer to him, hand gripping Unknown’s arms now.

The blue-haired boy turns his face to look at them, and the empty feeling intensifies. He then sits up, movements jerky and reminding Revolver of a marionette. Anger wells up in him at that thought - the thought of Yuusaku being controlled and his body manhandled like anyone’s puppet leaves a ghastly bitter taste in his mouth.

Yuusaku finally stands up, and Revolver matches this movement by releasing his hold on Child Yuusaku, reaching out to hold onto his hand gently instead. His shoulder bumps with Playmaker’s, and he turns to glance at the avatar fragment, finding viridian coloured eyes looking right into his. There’s a hint of fear - but it’s mostly anger and desperation reflected in Playmaker’s lips, pulled into a tight line. Playmaker doesn’t speak, but Revolver reads his plea from those tense shoulders, those wandering eyes. He turns back to face Yuusaku - the kamikakushi in _Yuusaku’s body_ \- free hand clenched into a fist, nails digging into the palm through the fabric of his gloves, anger burning like a raging storm.

“You have no right…” The growl that slips out of his mouth makes Child Yuusaku jump. He hears Playmaker’s whispered _Revolver_ , but he pays them no mind, focusing on the virus in Yuusaku’s body, eyes narrowed and lips tilted, smugness rolling off him in waves even when Yuusaku’s physical body is trapped within the bars of Fire Prison. Lifting his free hand, he points a sharp finger at the figure.

“You’re nothing more than a pile of data error remnants that had gained consciousness collectively,” and it dares to use Yuusaku to do its dirty job? The _audacity_. “I’ll show you how impudent you are.” The smirk on Yuusaku’s face widens, eyes so dull they’re almost black, and this was all wrong wrong _wrong_ and Revolver’s heart aches for the boy’s flat expression and emeralds that lit up like his favourite ocean.

“Very well.” The virus shrugs, nonchalantly lifting Yuusaku’s left arm where his old-style duel disk materialises. Revolver looks to his left, down into Child Yuusaku’s frightened green eyes, giving the hand a reassuring squeeze and a smile - that came surprisingly naturally. The child relaxes slightly at that, shoulders remaining tense but returning his smile with one of his own, eyes still slightly shimmery when he lets Revolver’s hand go, running around him to latch himself onto Playmaker, hiding behind his older counterpart with his arms around the taller boy’s left leg. Revolver follows the movement up to Playmaker’s face, the shorter nodding at him, gaze bright and filled with so much trust Revolver would’ve balked if he were a lesser man. Even Unknown’s looking at Revolver from behind his older counterpart, eyes lacking in malice for once.

The whole situation feels slightly surreal, Revolver reflects briefly as he lifts his freed hand to ready his duel disk. For some reason, he’s saving Fujiki Yuusaku for the fourth time even after he’s said his farewells - and if the situation weren’t as dire, Ryouken would take the time to lament about how the other seemed to always be tied to him and is thus trapped in a never ending cycle of misfortune -

But saving Yuusaku comes first - it’s always been this way. He meets the _kamikakushi_ ’s satisfied expression head on, planning to show this fledgling virus just how ignorant it is, and how grave a mistake it has committed by using Yuusaku to further its growth.

“Duel!”

“I’ll go first! I activate Boot Sector Launch and Special Summon two Rokket monsters in defence position. Appear, Anesthrokket Dragon and Shelrokket Dragon! The effect of Boot Sector Launch increases the ATK/DEF of all "Rokket" monsters on the field by 300. I also set a card and end my turn.”

“A defensive play? Even though you went first?” The _kamikakushi_ mocks and Revolver bites back the feeling of wrongness at seeing such an emotion coming from Yuusaku, all twisted up and none of the gentleness Yuusaku holds. Even Playmaker on his revenge quest and Unknown had not elicited such an instinctive recoil from him, because Yuusaku had been full of life and fire, but the virus in his body right now is colder than glaciers.

He wanted to see just what kind of deck the other duelled with – it might not be the Cyberse deck he’s used to seeing Yuusaku wield, so it’s better to be prepared and not show his hand too early.

“No answer? Well, that’s all good then. My turn. I draw.”

The virus moved with such calculated moves Revolver could only wonder if that’s because this is its first time truly moving about in Yuusaku’s body. His drawing action was textbook-straight, extending his arm all the way before pulling it back to look at the card, thanks to Yuusaku’s Old Style Duel Disk not allowing automated transfer of cards. There’s no grace nor life in its actions, unlike Yuusaku who drew his cards with the strongest conviction and belief in them.

“As I control no monsters, I Special Summon Linkslayer.” The monster appears on the field right outside Fire Prison. “Now that I control a Cyberse monster, I Special Summon Backup Secretary. Then, I Summon Stack Reviver. I set these three monsters in the Link Circuit, and Link Summon Encode Talker! As Stack Reviver was used as a Link Material for a Link Summon, I activate its effect to Special Summon a monster that was used for the Link Summon from my Graveyard. Return, Backup Secretary. I’m playing her in defence.”

Playmaker’s Cyberse deck, then. Revolver really shouldn’t have been so cautious. His eyes flickers to the Fire Prison-like structure that encloses Playmaker and the Cyberse monsters. Seems like it’s not an actual Field Spell, but a cage that was actually coded into and belongs in this environment. 

“Revolver-oniichan, be careful. He has everything else that we don’t.” He turns to his right to look at child Yuusaku briefly, nodding in thanks at the wide green eyes. Playmaker and Unknown were both watching in silent contemplation, each flanking one side of child Yuusaku.

“The others’ advice won’t save you, Revolver.” It shrugs, nonchalant, before straightening and stares at Revolver’s field, hard.

“I attack Anesthrokket Dragon with Encode Talker!” Revolver narrows his eyes for the briefest moment as his Dragon was destroyed. “And I set a card.”

“When Anesthrokket Dragon is destroyed by battle, during the End Phase, I can Special Summon a rokket monster that’s not Anesthrokket from my deck, appear, Autorokket Dragon!”

There’s no reaction from the virus as the rokket dragon appears on the field in defence. It merely looks at the newly summoned monster with a muted expression, whether because it doesn’t care much about the duel outcome, or if it doesn’t deem Revolver’s monster as a threat, Revolver has no idea. “I end my turn.”

There’s something… very off about the way the _kamikakushi_ is duelling. It’s something beyond its tendency to duel-by-the-book, following theory and whatever manuals it most likely had accessed from the internet. Something else that Revolver cannot put his finger on.

“My turn.”

He recalls child Yuusaku’s warning, and glances at the other three fragments of Yuusaku’s consciousness again – Unknown had his eyebrows pinched together, while Playmaker has pressed his lips flat, palms pressed against the side of his thighs. Child Yuusaku looks like he’s about to cry, emerald eyes bright with reflected light.

That confirms this bad feeling he has, but it does not explain why or what it’s about. He’s concerned about the virus’s behaviour, but places that aside temporarily to concentrate on his next move.

He brings out Gateway Dragon with its effect, and Special Summons Silverrokket Dragon, bringing his hands down to zero. But he doesn’t need it, because Borreload is entirely within reach with the four dragons on his field.

“Manifest, the future circuit that lights up my path!"

The virus stares at Borreload Dragon as he descents, expression remaining flat – something that has happened increasingly as the duel progressed, which is strange because Ryouken knows it’s capable of emotions, given how it had taken to mocking him at the beginning, so why is it not –

_“Ryouken!”_

He jerks, head whipping to where the fragments stood, to see which one of them had called him that. Unknown’s glare had intensified, but Revolver understood that it was no longer directed at him, Playmaker looks like he’s about to throttle someone, while child Yuusaku has tears running down his cheeks now.

“Who –"

It was Playmaker who reacted to Ryouken’s unfinished questioned almost immediately, cutting in with hushed words, marvelling at a fact that seemed impossible.

“It’s Yuusaku. I don’t know how, but he’s awake and trying to keep the virus occupied as much as possible.” Sharp eyes narrow in pain, Playmaker looking down at the ground in the briefest of pauses before turning up again to face Revolver with a frown. “You should make your moves and end this as soon as possible.”

There’s something wrong with this picture, every inch of Ryouken’s being screams at him that the three were hiding something from him.

But it’s also likely that none of them will provide him with a proper, satisfactory answer even if he asked directly, therefore –

“If I win, does that mean the virus will leave Yuusaku’s body?” It had, after all, entered Yuusaku in the first place, and hence it should leave the same way.

Playmaker purses his lips and doesn’t reply, Unknown crosses his arms in front of him, looking down and away from Revolver.

It’s child Yuusaku’s reaction that gives Ryouken the answer, his tears are now full-blown sobs, and Ryouken wants to leave to field and comfort the other so badly, but he can’t risk forfeiting the duel.

“… I see.”

The virus won’t leave Yuusaku’s body even if he wins, so is there any way that Ryouken could get Yuusaku out of the cage and the virus out of his body?

Think, damn it. Playmaker had told him to make his move as soon as possible, so Yuusaku’s buying time for him, to do what?

“Revolver,” Playmaker urges again, “The virus has to be eliminated.”

That sends a shock through his system, a lightning bolt striking him, and he realises just what Playmaker is referring to.

“…You want me to kill you?” He growls at Playmaker, who frowns and turns away to rest a gentle hand on child Yuusaku’s head, eyes heavily lidded with melancholy. Revolver isn’t too sure if he’s trying to comfort the crying child or get some reassurance himself.

“Trust us, if there was a way, we’d tell you. But we can no longer remove the virus’s existence in us entirely, it’s like it’s been melded into our consciousness. If you eliminate us, you’ll free the world from a possible cyber pandemic. There’s no saying how widespread the virus can get using our abilities, after all.”

And Ryouken has a conscious idea of how Playmaker – how Yuusaku – had felt when he’d been the one Ai had pleaded with to end his existence.

He would’ve jumped on this chance, a few months ago – to eliminate Playmaker, the Ignises, and finally himself as well, but he’s different now because his life is different now. So is Fujiki Yuusaku’s.

He thinks of the Zaizen siblings, of the rehabilitated Kusanagi Jin, of Homura Takeru, and of Shima Naoki – because although Yuusaku was widely nonchalant towards him, his continued replies to Shima’s badgering had to mean something – wondering what they would think.

“There are people waiting for you to return.” Playmaker purses his lips and says nothing. Revolver glares at him in return but returns to the duel regardless. The virus is now entirely non-responsive, and Ryouken realises Yuusaku must be being an utmost difficult host for it to be able to do nothing else but concentrate on duelling while directing its efforts to fighting back Yuusaku vying for control.

“Borreload, attack Encode Talker! Thunder Borrel Cannon!” The beam from his dragon’s mouth hits Encode Talker, followed by an invisible barrier, and Revolver startles – it hadn’t been there earlier, because he and the other fragments had crossed that area to approach the cage. A trap, then?

He frowns when Encode Talker disappears in a quick flourish of pixels regardless, and the _kamikakushi_ ’s LP falls. So, not a trap.

“What was that barrier?” The virus looks at him with a numbed annoyance, pressing Yuusaku’s lips flat but remaining silent. Revolver can’t say he’s been expecting anything else, but after having eloquent enemies who either preferred to mock or try to appeal to him, the virus’s reticence is stifling and uneasy.

What’s even more disturbing, is how the other fragments fail to reply him this time. He turns to the fragments. Unknown has his eyes narrowed at the barrier, Playmaker shakes his head at his silent inquiry, holding onto the now unconscious child Yuusaku who had tired himself out from crying. Revolver almost feels quite disappointed at that, because child Yuusaku has proven himself to be the least cryptic and most insightful of the three – not because Unknown and Playmaker were dull by any means, given that they were all parts of the brilliant Fujiki Yuusaku, but because the older two had agendas, while their younger counterpart would’ve been able to tell him even a hint of something.

Going in blind, then. Revolver can deal with that – so he continues the duel in the disturbing and almost ominous silence that had descended upon the chapel.

Borreload does a good deal of damage on the _kamikakushi_ ’s LP, but the virus, crafty as it is even with Yuusaku’s interference, brings out Firewall Dragon Darkfluid in return.

He knows of the card’s existence, but it’s the first time he’s seen it in person. The green version of Firewall Dragon is tragically beautiful, with its smooth bodyline and floating wings formed from five dark crystal-like structures.

Tragically beautiful, like its master. And missing the liveliness he’s used to from Yuusaku as well. Ryouken can’t help but to muse as Darkfluid takes out Borreload and a good amount of Ryouken’s LP in the process. He manages to stay standing, grimacing while bracing against the impact of the attack. 

_“Ryouken!”_

Yuusaku’s calling him, again – and Ryouken grits his teeth as he tries to figure out a way to bring Yuusaku to the surface so they can end the duel without any one of them losing instead. There’s so much he doesn’t know – like what’s going on in Yuusaku’s mindscape, and how to remove the virus from his consciousness, but maybe, maybe there’s something he could try.

“Yuusaku,” Unknown and Playmaker jerks from where they are looking at the duel, Playmaker pulling child Yuusaku closer to him.

Yuusaku’s eyelid flutters ever so slightly. Compared to the virus’s expression that had grown increasingly deadpan as the duel had continued, this was a huge improvement and Revolver’s heart leaps at the possibilities.

“Think of three things and follow my voice.” He takes in a breath, deep and desperate. “I’m here.”

_Come back to me._ Ryouken whispers in his heart, not willing to become that vulnerable yet, especially in enemy territory.

He sees Yuusaku’s fingers twitch, and someone – either Unknown or Playmaker – gasps sharply from his side.

“Keep calling, it’s working.” Playmaker – or it sounds like Playmaker, given how calm the intonation is – offers, relief colouring his voice.

“Three things to live, three things to win, three things to return home.”

Emerald green eyes slowly regain their shine, and Revolver’s breath hitches as Yuusaku clenches his fist, slams his eyelids shut and opening them, body once again glowing a misty black and red as he overcomes the influence of the virus. Darkfluid roars from its position in Fire Prison, having felt the return of his master, and its body glows a bright forest green.

“Re,” He chokes, “Revol…ver,” The younger boy heaves a few deep breaths, seemingly trying to calm down after so long of not being in control of his body.

“Yuusaku,” He greets in return, keeping his voice gentle to avoid startling the boy – it would not do for him to hinder Yuusaku trying to calm himself.

He watches as Yuusaku heaves a few deep breaths, eyebrows still knitted together and fists tight at his side. After a long, torturous moment, he opens them again, and looks right into Revolver’s own with such a bright intensity, stronger than the blow that Darkfluid had dealt to his side of the field earlier.

“I believe… it’s your turn, Revolver.” Yuusaku forces out after a while, his words smoothing out the more he spoke. The tiny relaxation of his shoulder tells Revolver he’s fully comfortable and in control of his body now. Satisfied with what he sees, Revolver nods, declares it his turn and draws a card.

Darkfluid is a tricky one to deal with, but not impossible. Ryouken’s goal right now is to get Yuusaku out of Fire Prison as quickly as possible. The ominous feeling that he’s getting from it has only increased since he first laid eyes on it – while he had thought some of it being due to the virus in Yuusaku’s body, it hasn’t changed even after Yuusaku had regained control of his body. His only obstacle is that weird barrier that’s protecting it – and hence, Yuusaku’s body – from his monster’s attacks while still making sure the duel can continue.

“Revolver,” He looks up from his cards into green eyes, Yuusaku having made his way to the edge of the cage he’s trapped in, hands resting against the bars. Those damned, shiny green eyes that gleamed with their owner’s voice calling out his name, halting his breath and making his stomach twist. Yuusaku’s lips are lifted in a tiny resigned smile, the flap of Darkfluid’s wings making his hair flutter, reminding him of wisterias in full bloom in the gentle spring breeze. There’s something about this scene - with Yuusaku being stuck in Fire Prison and Revolver being on the other side of the bars - that makes him feel like he’s eight again. He’s once again a child who is powerless against the green-eyed boy’s suffering, and he no longer has the choice of giving him encouragement. Instead of crying, however, Yuusaku is silent, his eyes speaking volumes.

Let me go.

Revolver understood his message, but that doesn’t mean he agreed with it. Sadness and anger overwhelm his being, because Yuusaku of all people should not be giving up this easily – where was the boy who had faced him down at the Tower of Hanoi with determination? Where was the boy who had snapped him out of his fury when he’d been ready to sacrifice Kusanagi Jin’s life in a fit of furious desperation?

He’d thought Yuusaku foolish for protecting the Ignises all those months ago, but while he’d fought hard for that peace he keeps preaching about and had taken needless damage in return, he had never been a self-sacrificial idiot who gave up this easily.

Not, of course, unless he’s the one in danger. Of course. _Of course_.

This silly, silly, boy. Amidst the anger and the desperation, there’s a bittersweet fondness. Fujiki Yuusaku is exactly the kind of person who would give his all for everyone, and he’s also pragmatic to a fault, which means if he had to weigh the fate of the world against his own, he’d pick the former without any hesitation.

The love and kindness that he holds for this world makes Ryouken ache.

With a shaky breath, he snaps out his words, surprising himself with how low his voice sounded.

“There are three reasons why I won’t let you go.” Yuusaku’s eyes widen, and his mouth falls open slightly in surprise, fingers flexing gently against the bars. “First, there’s no proof that destroying you would take the _kamikakushi_ out as well, it could simply move onto another host and all our efforts will be moot. Second, I won’t let you give up this easily. Not when I still have a chance at saving you, and not when we still have a future to work towards, together.” His heart shakes, because this is the exact reverse of what had happened at the Tower of Hanoi. His entire being is taut, overwhelming feelings trilling down his spine and he smiles. Smiles because he can now truly understand some of Yuusaku’s feelings all those months ago, and how, despite all the desperation to stop him, Yuusaku had probably felt his determination welling up like a geyser just like what Revolver’s is doing now.

“And third, I love you.” Not giving Yuusaku any time to reply, he opens his reverse card, the very first card he had set, and meets Yuusaku’s eyes – impossibly wide, now – head on. 

“This ends now! I activate the Spell: Polymerization! I fuse Absorouter Dragon and Magnarokket Dragon from my hand,” – Yuusaku’s mouth falls open as Revolver brings his hands together in front of him – “Fusion Summon, appear before me, Level 8, Borreload Furious Dragon!”

There’s a certain poetic feel to this scene, Revolver summoning the very Dragon he’d given Yuusaku for his protection to free him. He’d kept the original copy of the card for himself, of course, but more for sentiment’s sake, never thinking that he’d ever need to use it in a Duel. His random bouts of romanticism come in handy now, no matter how much Spectre teases him for it. The end of his lips twitches and lifts upwards as he takes in Yuusaku’s shocked visage amidst the glistening purple light that lit up the whole field as Furious Dragon made its descent. Green eyes are almost glowing now, with a sheen of moisture in them as Yuusaku follows Furious Dragon’s movements with increasing disbelief and relief.

“Revolver…” The younger boy sucks in a breath, bringing his right hand to his chest, clutching at the fabric of his school blazer as he closes his eyes. There’s a tiny smile on his face that warms Ryouken’s heart, but it was gone as soon as it appeared, Yuusaku’s pinched expression returning.

“Furious Dragon won’t be able to destroy Darkfluid,” He eyes Revolver with confusion, “What are you planning?”

“Just testing something,” Revolver feels the smirk adorning his face – he’s out of ideas that can be backed by evidence, and Unknown and Playmaker are still reticent – but he’s curious if the barrier is still there since Yuusaku suppressed the virus. While it’s rude to do so in a duel, this isn’t breaking the rules technically. “You have to be more imaginative than this, Yuusaku.” He teases, and Yuusaku blinks.

If the virus had been making sure Fire Prison doesn’t get destroyed, and had been protecting it from his monster’s attacks, does Yuusaku regaining control means it’s no longer active? Only one way to find out.

“Furious, destroy Fire Prison!”

This is a bet, and while Ryouken is quite disappointed with himself that he has to resort to hoping, he has no actual evidence that this would work, only wild educated guesses on this whole situation that hasn’t made any logical sense since the beginning. 

Furious fires off a beam of energy at the side bars of Fire Prison, taking care to avoid the front, where Yuusaku was. The boy raises his arms to shield his eyes from the sudden onslaught.

And just like a duel monster being destroyed, Fire Prison is gone in a flash of golden pixels and an almost cheery _ping_ sound that’s horribly out of place in this situation. Yuusaku lifts his face from where he’d covered them with his arms, blinking in confusion. He stumbles for a moment, before squatting down, pulling his arms over his head, entire body trembling. Something cold and slimy drops in Revolver’s gut and he dashes a few steps forward trying to get to Yuusaku. He’s almost in Yuusaku’s immediate vicinity when something invisible and heavy drop upon him, bringing him to his knees and nailing him there with a dull pain. Out of the corner of his eyes, he sees their monsters disappear along with the duel field.

“Yuusaku!” Unknown and Playmaker cry out, still mobile, running to their final fragment only to be stopped by Yuusaku’s frantic scream of _don’t come closer!_ Before Revolver could react, Unknown, Playmaker and child Yuusaku glow and dissolve into very familiarly coloured lights – lavender purple for Unknown, indigo blue and mossy green for Playmaker, silver and baby blue for child Yuusaku – twirling and dancing around each other before converging back in Yuusaku’s body. The boy shivers, before throwing his head back, a blood-chilling scream tearing from his mouth.

“Yuusaku!” Revolver watches in horror as the grey and red mist from earlier – the virus – outlines Yuusaku again, before floating to occupy the immediate space beside its previous host, this time turning into tendrils of darkness that wrap around the teenager’s body. The screams subside the moment the virus leaves Yuusaku, but Revolver hears Yuusaku’s panicked breathing even over his own wildly beating heart.

When Yuusaku looks up, it’s to stare at Revolver with teary eyes. Beside him, a swirling circle of grey and bloody red tendrils appear, and he knows, instinctively, that he cannot let that thing suck Yuusaku in, no matter what.

“Yuusaku!” It takes all of his effort to reach out just as Yuusaku’s pulled away by the swirling darkness around his limbs and torso, the other struggling and freeing his arm to grasp at his hand, face scrunched up in pain.

Their fingertips touch, just barely, but Revolver feels the feather-light sensation clearly despite the pain weighing down on him. Yuusaku’s eyes open and narrow again and he attempts to reach further out.

“Revolver!” Revolver curses, straining and screaming at his body to move, but the strong pull of the enhanced gravity in the area holds him down, and he can only watch helplessly as Yuusaku’s pulled into swirling darkness, out of his reach.

The portal starts closing, and Revolver could only stare blankly as it shrinks into a tiny sphere, before fizzing out of existence, arm as heavy as lead.

And the weight on him disappears instantaneously. Gasping, his leans forward, planting both hands on the ground, heaving in air that he doesn’t – shouldn’t – need in the virtual realm, a gaping hole in his heart.

Keeping the sudden feeling of needing to breathe in a fake reality aside for later examination, he inhales a deep breath before standing up right again, knees shaking ever so slightly.

Scowling, he clenches his fists, before raising his right, brushing the pad of his thumb over his middle finger, where Yuusaku’s fingers had fleetingly touched, numb and empty.

That damn virus had taken Yuusaku right in front of Revolver. And he’d been powerless to stop Yuusaku from being taken away. There’s despair and self-loathing, both of which he’s intimately familiar with, them being his best friends throughout his developmental and early teenage years. The thought of watching, destitute, as Yuusaku gets harmed again makes his entire being burn, tense and wanting to do something but unable to because he’s unsure of what –

Not this time, the tension on his forehead increases as he calls for his D-Board and hops onto it, making his way out of the private server and feeling every inch of the empty space at his side.

He’ll find Yuusaku, even if he has to tear the world apart to do so.

The static in his ears signals the revival of his communication system the moment he crosses the boundary that separates the server and SOL’s main network.

_“Revolver-sama!”_

“Spectre, report.” If he could, Revolver would be surprised by how calm he seemed to sound, despite the boiling anger in him. Kyouko’s voice came over the intercom instead, delivering news that made his blood freeze.

_“Revolver-sama, Fujiki-kun’s vitals started falling about a minute ago, while he’s not in any active danger yet, I’m unsure if the decline is going to stop any time soon.”_ His brain spins full-time with surprising clarity as it processes Kyouko’s words, breath stuck in his throat even as he scans the area for any kind of clue.

Whatever the virus is doing to Yuusaku, it’s similar to what Lightning had done to his father.

And like hell Ryouken’s going to let any damned data do that to anyone again.

“I’ve restored Fujiki’s consciousness, but the _kamikakushi_ took him.” He hears his generals’ exclamations of shock, before Spectre’s voice comes through the intercom, steady and calm, but ready to act.

_“Your orders, sir?”_

There’s no time for anything but overkill, and Revolver’s not in the mood to play nice even in SOL’s main network now. Yuusaku life is withering, and if he doesn’t hurry, he’ll lose him forever.

“Patch the Beta Nucleoid over,” There’s a stunned silence on the other end, “Quickly!”

_“Give us a moment.”_ Spectre, reliable as always, recovers from his shock first, and Revolver’s duel disk beeps with an initiation of a download. He pays it no extra mind, however, making his way to the centre of the Link VRAINS server, where SOL’s tower stood tall and proud, to reach a prime location to use the programme that’s being downloaded into his duel disk.

He still needs to go higher – beyond the reach of his D-Board. His duel disk glows, and he pulls out a card, smirking briefly.

[“Appear, the future circuit that lights up my path! My new wind that pierces through the closed world! Appear now, Borreload Dragon!"](https://twitter.com/ZakuraRain/status/1287721644425789446)

His trusted partner appears with a strong gale, neon green wings cutting through the air around them. Closing his eyes, he hears clarion clink of his bullet earrings distinct in his ears, feels the wind rushing around him, through his hair, the movement of his coat, Borreload’s tenacious roar that shakes the virtual earth, and the weight of his duel disk on his left hand. 

Revolver opens his eyes when Borreload settles his head right beside his D-Board, jumping onto the flat of his head and recalling the D-Board with a fluid motion. His duel disk beeps twice to signal the completion of the download, and a glowing green prism, tiny enough to fit in his palm, appears with a brief press of his duel disk controls. It floats gently above his hand, and Revolver has to suppress the longing in his heart at the thought the colour leads to.

He’ll get Yuusaku back with this.

_“Revolver-sama, this is dangerous!”_ Dr Asou’s voice cuts in, tone chastising and reprimanding, something Revolver hasn’t heard since childhood. He affords himself a brief moment of nostalgia before brushing it off with ease – he appreciates the sentiment, but he’d sworn to protect Yuusaku in any way he could, and this is the fastest way to free Yuusaku from the virus’s grasp.

Despite its small size, the Beta Nucleoid, as its name suggests, is the very first completed test version of the Tower of Hanoi. Revolver had created it together with his father, and testing had been done in one of Hanoi’s many private servers, one that they had been ready to sacrifice, to ensure that the Tower worked exactly as they wanted it to.

It’s not going to take the global network out, it won’t even create a crater in SOL’s network on its own, but it’ll serve Revolver’s purpose extremely well in this case. Yuusaku’d get angry if he tried to nuke the place again, even if it’s just to look for him. The virus could not have taken Yuusaku too far, given the damage Borreload Furious Dragon had delivered. 

“Let’s go, Borreload,” His Dragon roars in agreement and they’re flying upwards, the friction making the prism glow brighter, before the luminous gem dissolves into pure, green light, sinking into Revolver’s open palms. They had used the very same energy that datastorms generated to power the Nucleoid, given the abundance of virtual wind energy they had at their disposal back then with his father still around.

The same energy that Revolver still has, now bolstered by the programme. He hears the winds bellow, dancing and gathering around his entire being, and his fingers twitch in eager anticipation as Borreload reaches an altitude high enough for him to call upon the tempest mirroring the exhilaration in his heart. 

It’s been a long while since he’s done this. He lifts his right hand, and calls upon his Skill with all his might, all grit, lined with vicious anguish.

[“Storm access!”](https://twitter.com/ZakuraRain/status/1287721729737940993)

And the world around him wails, the datastorm gathering around his palm at his command, turning the skies a dark and dismal black, spitting out streaks of destructive green light and purple gust that hurls upon the streets of Link VRAINS, creating cracks in roads and upturning them, collapsing buildings within the radius of Revolver’s influence.

Screams reach his ears from this high up, but Revolver pays them no mind, eyes darting around in a frantic search for any hint of that unpleasant bloody red mist through his darkened visor. Disrupted buzzing reaches his ears and he knows Spectre and the others are trying to contact him, and he turns off his communication function with a scowl, closing his eyes and tunes out the screams and the noise around.

“Where are you, Yuusaku?” He’s always been in tune with the other boy – or maybe not and this is all Ryouken’s imagination, but how else could he have known Yuusaku was in danger otherwise? – and the logical part of him knows this is the most ridiculous bet he’s ever taken, but a larger part of him that softens in sentimentality whenever Yuusaku is concerned remains convinced that he’ll be able to find the other boy this way.

He expands his senses to search for the comforting feeling he’s come to associate with the other boy, the gentle warmth that tiny Yuusaku had left imprinted in him even with his brief inhabitation of Revolver’s digital body.

Revolver had been in sync with Yuusaku several times recently, this has to work. It simply has to.

He refuses to accept anything else. A grim expression settles over his face as he continues to search for any signs of Yuusaku, directing his senses across the network in a search for the gentle but tenacious life force. The increased clarity of pulses in the network takes some getting used to. His link sense had always been on the weaker side, especially compared to Yuusaku, but ever since Yuusaku’s fragments used him as a temporary vessel, it’s grown in strength, and Ryouken can feel the gentle pulses of the network being disturbed by the incoming waves hitting against them, dispersing them of their harmony. All of these is inconsequential to Ryouken, however, as he continues to look for that familiar spark that’s uniquely Yuusaku.

Dissonance hits his every sense, and Revolver winces and hisses when he realises that that was the accursed virus moving. If he tracked that… Opening his eyes, he narrows them in acute concentration as he gazes at the spot in the horizon where he had felt the disgusting chill originate from.

A pulse of misty red that was almost easy to miss amidst the ongoing chaos if he hadn’t been harping on it, Borreload acts before Revolver consciously delivers the order, in perfect sync with his master, generating a beam of pure energy from the cannon in his mouth. Lightning and electricity flashes across the sky in a beam, turning everything in its path to dust, and Revolver hisses as the mist moves away nimbly, avoiding Borreload’s attack by a hair’s width.

There’s no time to wait for Borreload to recharge, for all of his dragon’s destructive power, he’s never as fast as, say, Firewall Dragon, who functioned at the speed of electrons and light – as the virus does as well, evidently, given its origins.

Throwing out his hand, he gathers more storms and beams of light from the sky to the area where the virus was, his festering frustration and fear behind his every move. Streaks of green flickers around the area, engaged in a dance of catastrophe with screaming purple and blue gusts, throwing out rubble and dust into the air. It blocks his vision of the area completely, and he frets for the briefest of moments, before taking a breath as deep as he could in this situation. If the virus had ran from the area, he would’ve sensed it.

A high-pitched shriek echoes in the muddy skies, and he catches it with a perfect sense of clarity, grin triumphant despite the painful ringing in his ears.

Borreload moves beneath his feet, strong mechanical wings flapping amidst the chaos towards where the virus was – Revolver imagines the black ball of mist condensing into itself, like a baby curling up to protect itself from outside threats. There’s nowhere else it could run to, for the moment it moves from its hiding place – behind a rather tall pile of rubble beside what used to be the fountain of the main square – it would be spotted by Borreload, who won’t hesitate in decimating it. 

The wind feels liberating against his face despite the substantial pressure choking him; the pain as sharp as the grin that adorns his face and the almost beast-like ferociousness that’s been set free in his heart. He continues to watch, like a predator looking for its prey, as Borreload reaches the ruins of the square and descents steadily.

A flat circle lies floating in the air in front of the fountain. It looks like it’s formed by very familiar mists, swirling towards the centre with small strands dancing wildly along the circumference.

And Yuusaku is beyond this.

Revolver leaps through the portal, and there’s a loud noise of alarm from Borreload before his dragon follows him, ripping through the dark misty material –

The noise disappears and the world before him is silent – so quiet that he could hear his own heartbeat and the rush of blood in his ears, as impossible as it is. He feels momentarily unreal, the ground of his existence pulled out from under him and he’s grasping at nothing, in the split second before Borreload follows him in to settle beside its master, the hum of his dragon’s machine parts an almost comfortable clutch.

Flashes of a pure white room and a soft boyish alto speaking to him, and Revolver hisses, shaking his head to get rid of the flashbacks from Yuusaku’s memories – there’ll come a time where he can slowly peruse through whatever he can retain, but not now – before turning his attention fully onto the sight before him.

The space around him is filled by infinite shades of blue pixels travelling in all directions – information and message signals, he realises with a start that this is the space _of_ the network where infrastructures are built on, before the roads are paved and the buildings are built, coded by what would be SOL’s employees in this case, given that they are still in SOL’s network.

It’s like a sea of data, Revolver muses as he scans the area for any sign of Yuusaku or the virus – he could no longer sense the infuriating being, but he kept the power of the Beta Nucleoid ready at his fingertips anyway. Lashing out in this area is dangerous. Link VRAINS’ infrastructure could be rebuilt and destroying it would not bring danger to Revolver’s consciousness that’s logged into the network, but too much damage done to this place would be dangerous to Revolver.

He’s not meant to be here – no human being is meant to be here. The fail safes that SOL and other companies in other cities had built for the people using their networks will not work here, given that they don’t have the ability to extend that kind of protection to everything, just like how human beings won’t be safe under the earth’s surface – they’d dehydrate or choke on the soot quickly, leading to death.

Which means Revolver needs to forget about the virus and get to Yuusaku as quickly as possible instead.

“Where are you?” He asks, voice the softest whisper he could manage, partially to not disturb the silence around them – which is neutral, not comfortable or disturbing, just a cool feeling of as is, just like how the universe just is – and also to not startle any data into distorting – he doesn’t know if the laws of physics that had been introduced to every city’s networks apply here, but he wasn’t too keen to find out.

Destroying Link VRAINS is one thing, taking down the very space the system exists in is another.

_Come on, Yuusaku, answer me._

The anxiety in him is jarring, because while Yuusaku had never failed to answer him, what if this is the one time he doesn’t – because he can’t – and Ryouken fails to find him?

No. Even if Yuusaku can’t, Ryouken will make damn sure that he’ll find him instead – Yuusaku spent ten years searching desperately for Ryouken, and he’s never given up, not even once, just because he can’t get a reply from the owner of the voice.

It would be wrong of Ryouken to give up now.

_“Who are you? Where are you?”_

The familiar sound came so suddenly that Revolver could not suppress the jump in his shoulder, looking around for any sign that could point him to where the voice is coming from but failing – just like the virus’s voice had done so earlier, child Yuusaku’s voice reverbs around them.

_“I’m here, beside you.”_

It’s even more disturbing to hear him reply Yuusaku’s question in his childish voice, something he’s left behind for longer than he can consciously remember now – it was about the time his father returned from SOL’s clutches, infected by Lightning, when Ryouken had stopped being a child, in all aspects.

When he had let go of his childish hopes and dreams to pursue genocide and self-destruction, when he had turned his childhood crush into something so twisted and unhealthy that he wanted the subject of his affections to follow him into the afterlife because there was no way he could let Yuusaku go – not when he’d returned to him willingly, albeit unknowingly.

_(And perhaps Ryouken had never been that innocent even as a child, part of the reason why he’d spurred Yuusaku on was also because he wanted Yuusaku to be useful to his father’s research – after all, Yuusaku gets to live, gets to go home, and father gets his work done, they all win, right?)_

It is what it is, and all has been said and done. He takes a step, not really knowing where he’s going, but also understanding that he’s not going to find Yuusaku by simply staying stationary.

_“Think of three things.”_

_“Three things to live, three things to win, and three things to go home.”_

Three things… that’s right, he taught Yuusaku his own way of thinking about the world, not knowing that it would have such a significant impact on the younger boy’s psyche – although that was understandable too, because he too had been a child – and would be the way he’d find out Playmaker’s identity when Revolver was on the brink of self-destruction.

Fate has a funny way of playing out their destiny of being entwined together, and everything between them was wrong and right, an antinomy of contradictions. If Playmaker had appeared just a little bit earlier, Revolver would’ve captured Playmaker instead, discreetly and without his father’s knowledge – they could’ve been together, and depending on how long they’ve been together, Playmaker probably wouldn’t have fought as hard against Revolver’s decision to choose his own death, maybe he would’ve followed Ryouken, even.

If Playmaker had appeared later… Well, Revolver would’ve never had the time to find out who he was. There’s no probability that Playmaker will never find him on time, however, given their horrible of track records of just barely meeting each other at the most important points in their lives.

So, three reasons to get Yuusaku back.

One, Yuusaku still has a life to live. He has friends eagerly waiting for his return – Soulburner has been annoying persistent in contacting Revolver for updates.

Two, Ryouken has yet to confess to him in person, has yet to hold him in the way he wants to.

Three, they still have a future to work towards together.

If Ryouken didn’t long for Yuusaku as much as he does, he would laugh at his own hypocrisy and argue his lack of right in wanting the possibility of the future that Yuusaku had once placed in front of him, laid out like the cards on their fields. He had deluded himself into not believing in anything other than his father’s mission and beliefs back then, but even father makes mistakes – and Kougami Kiyoshi has made many of them.

It’s not Kougami Ryouken’s mission to inherit those mistakes as well – he loved his father dearly, but he had been wrong about the Ignises.

Ai had died to save Playmaker, choosing his own destruction to protect his origin’s life – and had left the boy heartbroken.

Ryouken will not fill the gap that the Ignis had left on his origin, but he will gladly take the position Yuusaku had left for him – had created for that special person, waiting for them and pondering about them and wanting them to be by his side – like a throne that had been empty for a long time.

The last reverbs of the voices die off.

He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, feeling the displacement of himself in the fabric of the network space, takes in the cool feeling of Borreload’s metallic body even through his gloves, and the soothing sound of its body softly humming.

There’s a shift in the space – he can’t tell what, but Borreload’s sudden but mild movement against his palm is sign enough that Ryouken had not been the only one to notice. He opens his eyes.

Yuusaku looks serene floating against the blue backdrop, his blue and pink coloured tresses dancing gently in the non-existent winds, not a single thing out of place on his uniform. He’s here. In front of Ryouken.

Revolver’s breath hitches, and he drinks in the sight of the boy, before reaching out to cup one hand on the other’s cheek, the other reaching for his waist and pulling the sleeping boy into a lover’s embrace, resting his chin on Yuusaku’s shoulder before nuzzling into the other’s neck.

Borreload disappears in a rush of golden pixels back into his duel disk, and Revolver sees a similar glow from both his and Yuusaku’s body, a pleasant warmth all around him as he cradles a treasure in his arms.

He closes his eyes, and sinks, slowly, gently.

_the story ends_

When his consciousness resurfaces from Link VRAINS, it is to Spectre’s watchful gaze. There’s a hint of disapproval in them, accompanied by reluctance, but it warms Ryouken’s heart to know that Spectre cared about him as much as the three adults did.

“Welcome back, Ryouken-sama,” greets the ashen-haired boy in a droll tone. “Collateral damage aside, it’s great to see both you and Fujiki well.”

Yuusaku! He’d been unconscious still when Ryouken had retrieved him, was he –

He hisses at the sudden disorientation that accompanied his movement sitting up straight from his chair, lifting a palm to his heavy head in an effort to stabilise the swaying world around him. 

A palm at the bottom of his back, and he hears Spectre sigh as he helps Ryouken in sitting up properly.

“Fujiki is fine, Ryouken-sama. He’s probably better than you are right now, sleeping as deeply as sleeping beauty.” A twitch to Spectre’s lips, like he’s privy to some inside joke Ryouken has no idea of, “Kyouko and the others made sure he was okay before going into Link VRAINS to try and rebuild the cyber infrastructure.”

Oh, right. Zaizen will have his head for this incident, if it hasn’t spread like wildfire on the forums even in the middle of the night already. The political implications of his actions almost make him groan, but he doesn’t regret it one bit, not when he lifts his head to finally lay his eyes on Yuusaku’s peaceful form on the bed, Duel Disk gone from his arm.

He stands up, and Spectre gets the hint, stepping back gently so that Ryouken could make his way to stand by Yuusaku. Now that the anger and adrenaline had tapered off from his entire being, all that’s left in Ryouken is a sense of fear – something that he had turned his attention away from previously in his quest.

Yuusaku’s fear had been like his, but vastly different at the same time – Ryouken’s was a sense of the world and reality breaking apart around him, shattering into bits and pieces until there’s nothing left, while Yuusaku’s had been having nothing around him, nothing to hold onto at all – with darkness everywhere while he stood on the edge of an abyss waiting for the one thing that he could have to himself, Ryouken’s voice.

Ryouken had never been able to truly understand why Yuusaku had held onto the concept of his existence so tightly. Before, he could empathise, because Ryouken had turned the green-eyed boy he’d brought home that day into his own victim – of his naïveté, of his father’s crimes, of the Ignis’ lies – that Revolver and the Knights were going to save, a part of his driving force aside from his guilt, or so to speak. Therefore, he had possessed a knowledge of why Yuusaku had placed him on a pedestal, an educated guess based on Ryouken’s own experiences and theoretical knowledge.

But now? Yuusaku has grown from the lonely and scared six-year-old boy that had been at his father’s mercy, he had made friends and lost precious people just like Ryouken had. And yet, he still treats Ryouken like he’s something precious, and still wants Ryouken in his life despite Ryouken no longer being the only tie he has.

A sentiment that Ryouken is now fully prepared to reciprocate – if the thought of losing Yuusaku drives home unprecedented fear that deeply into his heart.

He’s lost his father and made his peace with that, but it is also now his duty to make sure he doesn’t lose the other people he holds dear in his life as much as he’s able to.

“I’m… thankful, for your support, Spectre.” He admits slowly, words falling from his mouth almost without conscious thought, not looking up from Yuusaku’s prone figure. Not because he’s reluctant, but because he’s unused to doing things like that. Growing up a cyberterrorist and focusing on eliminating the Ignises didn’t leave much time for anything sentimental or emotional, especially given Spectre’s lack of normal emotional disposition. However, Ryouken had appreciated his calmness and willingness to follow his orders, however chaotic the results had been for the Link VRAINS server. He – his heart – had been the epitome of chaos, with Yuusaku at the core, and Spectre had served as a steady, non-judgmental support, which Ryouken considered himself lucky to have.

He looks up slowly when there’s a long break of silence uncharacteristic of Spectre. The ashen-haired teen has his blue eyes widening slightly, mouth open, before returning to their original state. He closes them, a slight lift to his lips.

“You’re welcome, Ryouken-sama. There’s no need to mention it, you know that, right?” This odd mix of politeness and friendliness warms Ryouken’s chest, and a wave of gratefulness for having Spectre in his life hits. There’s warmth on his cheeks, and his childhood companion chuckles, seemingly reading his thoughts and sentiments. 

“It’s my pleasure to have met you too, Ryouken-sama.” And damn him for being able to read Ryouken like a book, whether it’s Yuusaku or him, Ryouken didn’t think he was that transparent.

“Ryouken.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Drop the honorifics,” He winces slightly at the commanding tone he’d developed, out of habit, before clearing his throat and trying again. “I mean, we can – should – stop being boss and subordinate now.” _You’re more than that to me, you’re a friend, my best friend, and I’m so grateful to have you here with me_ , goes unsaid because Ryouken still has the expressional capability of a wooden block, but the way Spectre’s eyes light up shows that he had gotten his sentiments across.

“I will… try, Ryouken…” Spectre tests the name out on his tongue, looking at the floor, frowning just slightly at the foreign feeling, repeating Ryouken’s name a few times in soft whispers. He’s like a child in the process of discovering something new. Ryouken watches as his face brightens considerably – as much as Spectre is capable of without spiralling into his characteristic madness, of course – and he looks back up, meeting Ryouken’s eyes full on, hesitation gone.

“Ryouken.”

“Spectre.” Ryouken feels his own lips lift into a smile, and he nods.

“I can work with this,” Spectre hums, breaking the eye contact between them gently to rest on Yuusaku’s sleeping form. “Shall I leave you to your admiration of Sleeping Beauty there while I help the others repair Link VRAINS?”

As Ryouken sputters in indignation and denial, Spectre chuckles softly, shaking his head as he turns on his heels to leave Ryouken staring – and no he was not pouting, no, he has no idea what you’re talking about – at his retreating back.

“I didn’t know Spectre had it in him to be genuine.” The world is out to get him, Ryouken is sure of it. He chokes and spins on his heel to see an expression of fresh spring, Yuusaku looking up at him with those lush green eyes, full of life despite his obvious drowsiness, lips pressed into a gentle smile as Ryouken gapes.

“How long have you been awake?” This was not the way Ryouken had envisioned Yuusaku’s awakening would be. The child in him – not that he had one – had imagined that he’d be right by Yuusaku’s side as he woke, whispering gentle words of happiness and welcoming him back, fingers running through his hands as he leans down to press a kiss to Yuusaku’s forehead –

Not… whatever sputtering mess he is in right now. He clenches and unclenches his fist, fingers tingling and unsure of what to do next, or how to even pull himself together to stop acting like a dork in front of Yuusaku.

“Since you asked Spectre to stop calling you Ryouken-sama,” Heat rushes to his face as the honorific falls from Yuusaku’s mouth, because while it was okay from anyone’s mouth, hearing it rolling off the wisteria-haired boy’s tongue did wonders for Ryouken’s brain.

And his hormones.

Damn it.

Yuusaku seems entirely aware of the effect of his words on Ryouken, as he narrows his eyes looking as pleased as a cat that got the canary, ate it, and washed it down with a delicious clot of cream.

“You…” His entire being was screaming at him to hightail it out of here to save himself more embarrassment, but Yuusaku softens and reaches out slowly, arms stretched towards Ryouken’s hand. Like magnets, Ryouken returns the gesture automatically, holding Yuusaku’s hand in his and entwining their fingers, taking a step to sit on the edge of the bed, resting his free hand on the other side of Yuusaku’s head as he leans down to peer into eyes that are alive – not dull, and not closed forever.

[“…Welcome back, Yuusaku.”](https://twitter.com/ZakuraRain/status/1287720814750531584) Said boy smiles, the fullest Ryouken’s ever seen him done, even if it’s just a higher lift of the lips and a fuller curve of his eyes, and his heart starts doing those jumps again.

“I’m back, Ryouken.” A pause, while the tip of a pale pink tongue wetting slightly chapped lips, “Thank you, for saving me.” And there’s a sour and aching pressure in his chest, he wants to tell Yuusaku just how glad he’s still alive, that Ryouken had gone through hell and would go through it again if it meant Yuusaku continue being beside him and shining as bright as he’d been on that day they had met, blinding even under the rays of the setting sun.

But no words come out of his mouth, because for all of Ryouken’s eloquence, he never learned how to express himself and his gratitude properly. The pressure grows, and frustration rolls through his entire being.

Yuusaku, precious Yuusaku, gets it anyway, because he lifts his free hand to cradle Ryouken’s cheek, and Ryouken feels something slightly damp being wiped away. When did he - ?

“I,” He chokes out, unable to continue, and the younger boy moves his hand to rest on the back of Ryouken’s neck, fingers gentle and soothing, giving him a mellow pull. Ryouken gives in without resistance, leaning down to rest his face in the arch of Yuusaku neck, breathing in his subtle scent and feeling the smear of tears on their skins.

Above all, the pulses of Yuusaku’s heart play a soothing lullaby to Ryouken’s ears, as comforting as the fingers combing through his hair, and as steady as the ones holding onto his hand.

“Don’t you dare do that to me again,” His voice comes out slightly husky and nasal, not a good combination, but he continues to speak. “I’ll never give up on you.” Not when he’d been eight and watching Yuusaku suffer from beyond the screens, not when he’d been on his suicidal crusade thinking they were both better off dead together than alive, and definitely not when Yuusaku had asked him to. 

Yuusaku chuckles, a deep rumble in his chest felt more than heard, fingers never leaving Ryouken’s hair.

“I’ll try not to.”

“Don’t try, _Fujiki,_ do it.”

“Yes, _Ryouken_ , I will not do it again.” Amusement is something he’s never known on Yuusaku, but it’s pleasant, and Ryouken likes it more than when he was angry or sarcastic. A different kind of happiness than the bright, straightforward emotion the younger boy had shown as a child.

“Or, if I do,” Yuusaku continues even when Ryouken growls, “You’ll come save me again.” It wasn’t even a question, and Ryouken’s face heats up. He lifts his torso back up to glare at Yuusaku, unable to muster any kind of real heat, while the sweet warmth of adoration melts the frustration and fear in his heart.

“I’ll start charging for each rescue.” It’s Yuusaku’s turn to choke on air, and he lets out a huff of breath that’s the closest to a laugh Ryouken has seen, before turning his full attention back into Ryouken’s gaze.

“I’m afraid I’m not as well off as you are. Do you take kisses for payments?” Ryouken sniffs, raising an eyebrow at the boy underneath him.

“Not at all, but I suppose I could make an exception for you…” Tone purposefully coy, he adds in a smirk at Yuusaku’s inquisitive gaze, before resting his own on the other’s lips. The noise Yuusaku makes sounds suspiciously like a giggle, and he frees his hand from white tresses and a strong grip to wrap both of them around Ryouken’s neck.

“Consider this advance payment,” He leans up, closes his eyes to press his lips awkwardly but gently to Ryouken’s, and the sensation is endearing that Ryouken melts, surrenders his entire being to the softness that is uniquely Yuusaku. Pushing the other back down onto the bed, Ryouken presses his lips against Yuusaku’s, grabbing the chance when the other moans in a mixture of surprise and pleasure to slip his tongue into Yuusaku’s mouth. The younger boy shivers, but doesn’t give in, meeting Ryouken’s tongue with his own. The resulting pleasure is delicious, addictive, tingling up and down his spine and spreading all around his body, Ryouken craves more of it. Moving his hands from their position on Yuusaku’s shoulders down to the boy’s sides, he’s rewarded with delectable shudders from the treasure in his arms.

“Ryouken,” Yuusaku gasps out when they are both pressed for air, pulling away as much as he could to breathe.

“Yuusaku,” He hums in satisfaction, taking in a breath himself, before opening his eyes to meet slightly glazed viridian eyes, their owner flushed.

“Thank you,” The younger boy looks at him in surprise at that, and Ryouken elaborates. “For coming back to me.” Yuusaku softens, and pushes himself up, Ryouken helping him with a gentle pull, and places himself in Ryouken’s arms carefully, head resting against his shoulder. The white-haired boy tightens his arm by reflex, almost like he’s afraid that Yuusaku would be taken away from within his reach again.

“I’ll always come back to you,” says Yuusaku, tone firm. As if this is a fact and theory of the universe that is and will always be, and the thought warms Ryouken’s heart.

“And I’ll always be here to welcome you back.” And it is a solemn vow that comes out of Ryouken mouth in return, like a monarch making a declaration, a knight pledging his loyalty.

Yuusaku chuckles, pulling back slightly so that he could look into Ryouken’s eyes. His eyelids fall ever so slightly, before leaning forward and pressing his lips to Ryouken’s awaiting ones.

There is no better way to seal a vow after all.

_brightly, as all joyful stories should._

“I’m glad we got Fujiki-kun back and all,” Asou remarks when he stepped into Ryouken’s bedroom with Spectre and Genome at around dawn, having finished repairing most of the damage Revolver had done to Link VRAINS. “But Revolver-sama, you haven’t actually caught the virus.”

Ryouken sighs, pulling his attention away from looking at Yuusaku – who had started stirring when Asou entered the room, even if the male had done so quietly – to look at his brother figure, a slight frown on his face.

“The virus wasn’t around Yuusaku at all when I went through the portal. I couldn’t find it, like it had never existed in the first place.” He turns to watch Yuusaku rub the sleep out of his eyes.

“This is a stretch, but do you remember anything after the _Kamikakushi_ took you?” Yuusaku looks up blearily for the briefest of moment, the image so cute and makes Ryouken’s chest tighten.

“ _Kamikakushi_? Oh, the virus…” Yuusaku frowns ever so slightly, tilting his head and biting his lips, before shaking his head no. Ryouken was about to open his mouth before Kyouko peaks into the room, eyes wide with wonder.

“Ryouken-sama,” Her voice shakes slightly, but she takes a deep breath to steady it and continues, “I just received a call from the hospitals where the victims of the _Kamikakushi_ are, and they’ve all regained consciousness!”

Ryouken exchanges wide glances with the rest of his knights, feeling as overwhelmed and surprised as Kyouko is, tightening his hold on Yuusaku in his disbelief. He glances at the boy in his arms, waiting for Yuusaku to say something.

But Yuusaku merely sighs, sleepy and content, before burying his face into Ryouken’s shoulder, falling back into a deep sleep with arms wrapped around Ryouken’s torso.

_“There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story.”_

― Frank Herbert

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omakes (and my tsukkomis) on the next page~
> 
> Kudos/Comments greatly appreciated!


	3. omake (and my tsukkomis as I was writing this fic)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> literally what the chapter title says.

**Omake:**

_on ryouken and chibisaku:_

“Is he… talking to someone?” Asou asks in a tentative tone, as if he’s trying to make sense of what he’s seeing. Genome makes a sound in reply, before peering closer at the screen.

“It does look like it, this is interesting, no?”

“Sounds like he’s speaking to Fujiki,” Spectre remarks, frowning as he examined the scene as well, “His line of vision is a bit too low, though, don’t you think?”

“Should we ask him?”

“Now?”

“…Fair enough, we’ll question him when he comes back.” Asou hopes with all his heart that worrying over Fujiki Yuusaku hasn’t driven Ryouken-kun to hallucinations, of all things.

* * *

_on ryouken destroying link vrains… again:_

Outside, in the real world, however, some of Revolver’s subordinates have other opinions.

Kyouko has her head buried in her hands as she leans her weight on the table in front of her, not looking once at her laptop screen. Genome has his eyes glued to the screen in front of him, while Spectre’s doing the same with the larger screen mounted on the wall. Asou has a frown as he looks at his, hands clenched in worry on the table.

“Should we stop him? This is…” Kyouko moans, a mix of despair and surrender at the question. Spectre tears his attention away to raise a brow at Asou.

“And risk his wrath? Be my guest.” Asou quiets down at this, turning slightly to chastise Genome, who obviously is too intrigued by what Revolver is doing in Link VRAINS to care about the collateral damage. Genome catches the look, shrugging.

“I know we’re used to seeing him thinking rationally. But Revolver-sama’s a teenager. A teenager in love.” Emphasis on the last bit, and the green-haired scientist shakes his head in slight fondness, “I don’t know about you, but this is the best course of action at the moment, Fujiki there could keel over any time.” The only female of their team is suddenly reminded of her responsibility, head shooting up, eyes wide. She turns to look at Genome for a long while, before standing up and walking to Yuusaku’s side, attention on her patient instead of what havoc Revolver is creating in Link VRAINS.

“… Zaizen isn’t going to be happy with this.” Asou mumbles, wincing when green light razes over the roof of the chapel and sends its stone roof exploding, dust clouds forming around the structure.

“He’ll understand,” Spectre comments, “I’ve never seen Revolver-sama like this.”

“This is the power of love, hm?” If he were a lesser man, Asou would’ve rolled his eyes.

“More like hormones.”

* * *

_on knights and sleeping princesses:_

“You know, this is the third time Ryouken-sama has saved Fujiki,” Spectre remarks, amusement on his face as he watches both figures – Revolver and Yuusaku – pixelate into the air on his screen as they log out.

“Third?” Kyouko looks up from where she’s been monitoring Fujiki’s vitals, “don’t you mean fourth?” She grimaces, “If you count the Lost Incident.”

“I believe what Spectre is trying to say is,” Genome chips in, “that given Ryouken-sama’s avatar design and our organisation name,” – Spectre’s light blue eyes take on a gleam of almost unholy glee that’s mirrored in Genomes as they turn to face each other, like a pair of scientists shouting _Eureka!_ as they discover the career-making finding of their lives – “Fujiki-kun is all but playing the princess role to Ryouken-sama’s knight.” 

Kyouko looks at them with wide grey eyes, turning to meet Asou’s baffled indigo ones, wanting so badly to open her mouth to rebuke them – for what, she had no clear idea, but there were so many things wrong with that picture, starting with how wrong the stereotype that the princess must be saved by someone was, and how that’s not how fairy tales work because princes save princesses, and not knights –

She turns back to look at Yuusaku, recalling what she had seen previously when Ryouken had removed the wires to Fujiki’s duel disk with such tenderness, along with Revolver’s tendency to make his entrances extremely flashy, especially when rescuing Playmaker.

Huh.

“That’s… not a bad suggestion, actually.”

There’s a loud clapping sound as Asou’s palm meets his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My tsukkomis:
> 
> Me to myself: Spectre and the others can't see Chibisaku. To them, Ryouken is literally talking to himself *facepalms* 
> 
> Me to Zakura: Asou is like "nope I don't want to talk about Ryouken-kun's love life, his crush on our ex-victim and how they are literally a living walking princess-knight roleplay."
> 
> Akira is going to burst a vein lmao


End file.
